The place of transition rituals in daily life practices: The example of Çıldır district

This thesis examines the meanings individuals living in the Çıldır district of Ardahan province attribute to birth, wedding, and death rituals within their daily lives, and the impact these rituals have on social structure. Rituals of passage are considered as cultural and social processes orchestrated by society as an individual transitions from one status to another. Data obtained through in-depth interviews and participant observation, based on qualitative research methods, demonstrate that rituals play a significant role in the construction of individual identity, intergenerational transmission, and the maintenance of social memory. The study also reveals the transformations wrought by modernization, migration, and economic change in the forms and functions of these rituals. Within the context of Çıldır's agriculturally based social structure and strong family ties, the function of rites of passage in the reproduction of social relations, norms, and values ​​is evaluated from a sociological perspective.