Women in stage arts: Experiences of Muslim religious women

This study aims to address and examine the experiences of the women in performing arts in Turkey, and approach Muslim religious women's common and diversifying experiences in the preforming arts as an example. From this point of view, firstly, approaches and discussions about the policies about and towards the body, the relationship between the body and the public sphere, the emergence of women in the public sphere and their existence in this sphere and the existence of them in the performing arts were given place to. Second, in the study, the story of women's emergence in public sphere in Turkey is approached and especially, the experiences of women in performance arts and these experiences' relationship with the time period's political and cultural atmosphere are examined. Finally, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with seven religious Muslim women who are performing artists, and the data obtained from the interviews were analyzed in the light of theoretical and historical framework. The results of the research were analyzed under the main themes of "Definitions of Identity "," Family Cultures and Religious Practices of Families", "Art and Meaning", "Barriers in front of Art Education and Alternative Ways", "Specific Stage Experiences of Muslim Religious Women ", "Visibility in Public Space, Body and Stage ", "Professionalization and Performance Areas: Art Environments, Institutions and Market", "Women's Movement and Reflections of Feminist Struggle on Religious Muslim Women's Performing Arts Practices" and their sub-categories. In this way, an alternative data was presented both to the homogenizing view of Muslim religious women, and an input was provided to the discussions about different subjects in the struggle of women to exist in the public sphere and in the performing arts in particular.