Çerkes kültüründe kadının statüsüne antropolojik bir yaklaşım: Soğucak köyü örneği

This qualitative study aims to explore the status of women in Circassian Culture through the lens of Feminist Anthropology. Soğucak village, one of the Circassian villages in Yalova, was chosen as a sample in the research. The research is prepared using qualitative research techniques, participant observation, and in-depth interviews. The field interview was conducted between 17 December 2022 and 16 July 2023 with 25 female and 9 male participants. Participants are determined by the snowball sampling method. As a result of the study, it is revealed that housework, especially cooking, and taking care of children is the responsibility of women in the village of Soğucak, which is also described as traditional gender roles of women in the literature. Additionally, when evaluating the position of Circassian women in Soğucak village, their roles in the family, their roles in transition rituals such as weddings and funerals, and especially their role in transferring culinary culture to future generations are also considered. All these results reveal that the secondary status of the woman in Circassian culture, which is the assertion of this study and is perceived by the literature research, is not found in the village of Soğucak. In addition, it is revealed that women's roles in Soğucak village have changed from past to present. Consequently, cultural change has emerged in Soğucak village, including the status of women.