David Ebershoff?un The Danish Girl ve Attila İlhan?ın Fena Halde Leman adlı romanlarında toplumsal cinsiyet yapılandırılması ve yapısökümü

Gender, which regulates the basic functioning of societies and individuals? existence in culture, has been a subject of interdisciplinary works and social sciences since the 1970s. Changing according to historical, geographical, social and cultural differences, this concept is divided as sex and gender by feminist critics. Asserted as the ideological tool of the dominant culture, that is patriarchy, gender is used to categorize the individuals as heterosexual men or women. While the dominant patriarchal culture locates strong, tough, authoritarian men at the top of the hierarchical order in society, it puts women in secondary positions as well as ostracizing the individuals who do not fit into categories of masculinity and femininity. Patriarchy labels gender non-conformists, who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans- people, as the abnormal members of society and puts them into minority status. Whereas these people have had non-discriminatory social statuses in various cultures existing from ancient times to present, they are subject to discrimination and they have to struggle to call for their ?existence.? In this context, it is asserted in this dissertation that gender is constructed depending on the dominant ideology and on its needs to maintain the social continuity.Construction of gender along with sociological and psychological situations of gender non-conformists are exemplified by David Ebershoff?s The Danish Girl (2000) and Attila İlhan?s Fena Halde Leman (2005). Based on the real life story of the first person to undergo sex reassigment surgery, David Ebershoff?s novel is examined focusing on the dominant culture?s suppression and its results on the trans persona as well as touching upon the 1930s Europe?s gender phenomenon. On the other hand, reviewed as a taboo breaking novel, Attila İlhan?s Fena Halde Leman is studied from the point of view of characters that destroy the binary oppositions of gender. Through making historical and social examinations, this study aims to reveal how gender and social identities are constructed and deconstructed by gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people in the light of the two selected novels mentioned above.Key Words: 1) Sex, 2) Gender, 3) Gender Construction and Deconstruction, 4) David Ebershoff, 5) The Danish Girl, 6) Attila İlhan, 7) Fena Halde Leman.