Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye
Murat Ergin, Fatoş GökşenSexual minorities consistently rank as the most disapproved of group in Turkey although the LGBTQ community remain largely invisible. To explain this disparity, we examine private and public responses to “homosexuality” along four dimensions: demographic factors, social context, religion and religiosity, and public morality. The data come from a nationally representative survey (N=1893). We tested four sets of variables to explain the persistence of mistrust toward sexual minorities. The first two, demographic factors and social context, show limited explanatory power. The third dimension of personal morality is also limited, because boundaries against LGBTQ individuals also cut across religion and religiosity. The fourth dimension, public morality, a vision of moral values shaping public life and political discourse, explains the particularity of the views toward non-straight sexual orientations as the specific alignment of a moral worldview with exclusionary cultural membership. Results are significant in two ways. First, they show that the mistrust of sexual minorities is high. Second, the public displays of mistrust are different from the forms of prejudice expressed toward other groups, such as ethnic minorities. The symbolic boundaries drawn vis-àvis LGBTQ individuals tells us more about the core values of belonging and solidarity in Turkish society.
PDF View
References
- Alexander, J. C. (2003). The meanings of social life: A cultural sociology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Altan-Olcay, Ö. (2009). Gendered projects of national identity formation: The case of Turkey. National Identities, 11(2), 165-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/14608940902891336 Andersen, R., & Fetner, T. (2008). Economic inequality and intolerance: Attitudes toward homosexuality in 35 democracies. American Journal of Political Science, 52(4), 942-958. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5907.2008.00352.x Anderson, B. R. (1991). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Verso google scholar
- Anderson, J., & Koc, Y. (2015). Exploring patterns of explicit and implicit anti-gay attitudes in Muslims and Atheists. European Journal of SocialPsychology, 45(6), 687-701. https://doi.org/doi:10.1002/ejsp.2126 Arat, Y. (2005). Women’s challenge to citizenship in Turkey. In F. Birtek & T. Dragonas (Eds.), Citizenship and the nation-state in Greece and Turkey (pp. 104-116). London: Routledge. google scholar
- Aytaç, S. E., & Çarkoğlu, A. (2019). Ethnicity and religiosity-based prejudice in Turkey: evidence from a survey experiment. International Political Science Review, 40(1), 58-72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512117696333 Bail, C. A. (2014). Terrified: How civil society organizations shape American understandings of Islam. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. google scholar
- Bail, C. A. (2008). The configuration of symbolic boundaries against immigrants in Europe. American Sociological Review, 73(1), 37-59.https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240807300103 Bakacak, A. G., & Öktem, P. (2014). Homosexuality in Turkey: Strategies for managing heterosexism. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(6), 817-846. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2014.870453 Blashill, A., & Powlishta, K. (2009). The impact of sexual orientation and gender role on evaluations of men. google scholar
- Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 10, 160-173. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014583 Bonthuys, E., & Erlank, N. (2012). Modes of (in)tolerance: South African Muslims and same-sex relationships. google scholar
- Culture, Health & Sexuality, 14(3), 269-282. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2011.621450 Brewer, P. R. (2003). Values, political knowledge, and public opinion about gay rights: A framing-based account. google scholar
- Public Opinion Quarterly, 67(2), 173-201. https://doi.org/10.1086/374397 Çarkoğlu, A., & Kalaycıoğlu, E. (2009). The rising tide of conservatism in Turkey. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. google scholar
- Çarkoğlu, A., & Toprak, B. (2007). Religion, society andpolitics in a changing Turkey. (Ç. A. Fromm, Trans.). Istanbul: TESEV. google scholar
- Çetin, Z. l. (2016). The dynamics of the queer movement in Turkey before and during the conservative AKP government (G.I.f.I.a.S. Affairs Report). google scholar
- Retrieved from https://www.swp-berlin.org/fileadmin/contents/products/arbeitspapiere/WP_RG_Europe_2016_01.pdf google scholar
- Collier, K. L., Bos, H. M. W., Merry, M. S., & Sandfort, T. G. M. (2013). Gender, ethnicity, religiosity, and same-sex sexual attraction and the acceptance of same-sex sexuality and gender non-conformity. Sex Roles, 65(11), 724737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0135-5 google scholar
- Cullen, J. M., Wright, L. W., Jr., & Alessandri, M. (2002). The personality variable openness to experience as it relates to homophobia. Journal of Homosexuality, 42(4), 119-134. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v42n04_08 google scholar
- Delehanty, J., Edgell, P., & Stewart, E. (2019). Christian America? Secularized evangelical discourse and the boundaries of national belonging. SocialForces, 97(3), 1283-1306. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soy080 google scholar
- Duyan, V., & Duyan, G. (2005). Turkish social work students’ attitudes toward sexuality. Sex Roles, 52(9), 697-706. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-3736-4 google scholar
- Edgell, P., Gerteis, J., & Hartmann, D. (2006). Atheists as “Other”: Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society. American SociologicalReview, 71(2), 211-234. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100203 google scholar
- Edgell, P., Hartmann, D., Stewart, E., & Gerteis, J. (2016). Atheists and other cultural outsiders: Moral boundaries and the non-religious in the United States. Social Forces, 95(2), 607-638. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sow063 google scholar
- Edgell, P., Stewart, E., Billups, S. C., & Larson, R. (2020). The stakes of symbolic boundaries. The Sociological Quarterly, 61(2), 309-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2019.1625736 google scholar
- Edgell, P., & Tranby, E. (2010). Shared visions? Diversity and cultural membership in American life. Social Problems, 57(2), 175-204. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2010.572.175 Edgell, P., & Tranby, E. (2014). Religious influences on understandings of racial inequality in the United States. google scholar
- Social Problems, 54(2), 263-288. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2007.542.263 Ergin, M. (2016). “Is the Turk a white man?” Race and modernity in the making of Turkish identity. Leiden and Boston: Brill. google scholar
- Ergin, M., Rankin, B., & Gökşen, F. (2019). Education and symbolic violence in contemporary Turkey. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 40(1), 128-142. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2018.1500274 google scholar
- Finlay, B., & Walther, C. S. (2003). The relation of religious affiliation, service attendance, and other factors to homophobic attitudes among university students. Review of Religious Research, 44(4), 370-393. https://doi. org/10.2307/3512216 google scholar
- Gelbal, S., & Duyan, V. (2006). Attitudes of university students toward lesbians and gay men in Turkey. Sex Roles, 55(7), 573-579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9112-1 Griswold, W. (1992). The sociology of culture: Four good arguments (and one bad one). Acta Sociologica, 35(4), 323-328. https://doi.org/10.1177/000169939203500405 google scholar
- Hartmann, D. (2015). Reflections on race, diversity, and the crossroads of multiculturalism. The Sociological Quarterly, 56(4), 623-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/tsq.12096 google scholar
- Haerpfer, C., Inglehart, R., Moreno, A., Welzel, C., Kizilova, K., Diez-Medrano J., M. Lagos, P. Norris, E. Ponarin & B. Puranen (2022). World Values Survey: RoundSeven - Country-PooledDatafile Version 4.0. Madrid, Spain & Vienna, Austria: JD Systems Institute & WVSA Secretariat. doi:10.14281/18241.18 Hooghe, M., Claes, E., Harell, A., Quintelier, E., & Dejaeghere, Y. (2010). Anti-gay sentiment among adolescents in Belgium and Canada: A comparative investigation into the role of gender and religion. Journal of Homosexuality, 57(3), 384-400. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918360903543071 Hunsberger, B. (1995). Religion and prejudice: The role of religious fundamentalism, quest, and right-wing authoritarianism. Journal of SocialIssues, 51(2), 113-129. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1995.tb01326.x Jamal, A. (2001). The story of Lot and the Qur’an’s perception of the morality of same-sex sexuality. Journal of Homosexuality, 41(1), 1-88. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v41n01_01 Janssen, D.-J., & Scheepers, P. (2019). How religiosity shapes rejection of homosexuality across the globe. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(14), 1974-2001. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2018.1522809 Lamont, M., & Molnar, V. (2002). The study of boundaries in the social sciences. AnnualReview of Sociology, 25(1), 167-195. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.28.110601.141107 Lichterman, P. (2005). Elusive togetherness: Church groups trying to bridge America‘s divisions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. google scholar
- Meuleman, B., Abts, K., Slootmaeckers, K., & Meeusen, C. (2018). Differentiated threat and the genesis of prejudice: Group-specific antecedents of homonegativity, Islamophobia, anti-semitism, and anti-immigrant attitudes. Social Problems, 66(2), 222-244. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spy002">https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spy002 Minwalla, O., Rosser, B. R. S., Feldman, J., & Varga, C. (2005). Identity experience among progressive gay Muslims in North America: A qualitative study within Al-Fatiha. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 7(2), 113-128. https://doi. org/10.1080/13691050412331321294 google scholar
- Olson, L. R., Cadge, W., & Harrison, J. T. (2006). Religion and public opinion about same-sex marriage. Social Science Quarterly, 57(2), 340-360. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00384.x Öztürk, A. E. (2016). Turkey’s Diyanet under AKP rule: From protector to imposer of state ideology? Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 16(4), 619-635. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2016.1233663 Pachucki, M. A., Pendergrass, S., & Lamont, M. (2007). Boundary processes: Recent theoretical developments and new contributions. Poetics, 35(6), 331-351. https://doi.org/10.1016Zj.poetic.2007.10.001 Persell, C. H., Green, A., & Gurevich, L. (2001). Civil society, economic distress, and social tolerance. Sociological Forum, 16(2), 203-230. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011048600902 Quinn, K., & Dickson-Gomez, J. (2016). Homonegativity, religiosity, and the intersecting identities of young black men who have sex with men. AIDS andBehavior, 20(1), 51-64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1200-1 Rankin, B. H., & Aytaç, I. A. (2006). Gender inequality in schooling: The case of Turkey. Sociology of Education, 79, 25-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/003804070607900102 google scholar
- Savcı, E. (2016). Subjects of rights and subjects of cruelty: The production of an Islamic backlash against homosexuality in Turkey. In A. S. Orloff, R. Ray, & E. Savcı (Eds.), Perverse politics? Feminism, anti-imperialism, multiplicity (pp. 159-186). Bingley, UK: Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0198-871920160000030005 google scholar
- Sherkat, D. E., Powell-Williams, M., Maddox, G., & de Vries, K. M. (2011). Religion, politics, and support for same-sex marriage in the United States, 1988-2008. Social Science Research, 40(1), 167-180. https://doi.org/https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2010.08.009 google scholar
- Sirin, S. R., McCreary, D. R., & Mahalik, J. R. (2004). Differential reactions to men and women’s gender role transgressions: Perceptions of social status, sexual orientation, and value dissimilarity. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 12(2), 119-132. https://doi.org/10.3149/jms.1202.119 google scholar
- Smith, S. J., Axelton, A. M., & Saucier, D. A. (2009). The effects of contact on sexual prejudice: A meta-analysis. Sex Roles, 61(3), 178-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9627-3 google scholar
- Stewart, E., Edgell, P., & Delehanty, J. (2018). The politics of religious prejudice and tolerance for cultural others. The Sociological Quarterly, 59(1), 17-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380253.2017.1383144 google scholar
- Svallfors, S. (2006). The moral economy of class: Class and attitudes in comparative perspective. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. google scholar
- Whitley, B. E. (2009). Religiosity and attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: A meta-analysis. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 19(1), 21-38. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508610802471104 google scholar
- Wilks, A. (2020, June 24). Turkey’s Religious Directorate criticised over coronavirus. Al Jazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/04/turkey-religious-directorate-criticised-coronavirus-200430064447853.html google scholar
- Williams, H. H. (2018). From family values to religious freedom: Conservative discourse and the politics of gay rights. New Political Science, 40(2), 246-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/07393148.2018.1449064 google scholar
- Wuthnow, R. J. (2011). Taking talk seriously: Religious discourse as social practice. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 50(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2010.01549.x google scholar
- Yang, A. S. (1997). Trends: Attitudes toward homosexuality. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 61(3), 477-507. https://doi.org/10.1086/297810 google scholar
Citations
Copy and paste a formatted citation or use one of the options to export in your chosen format
EXPORT
APA
Ergin, M., & Gökşen, F. (2019). Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, 0(0), -. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
AMA
Ergin M, Gökşen F. Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. 2019;0(0):-. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
ABNT
Ergin, M.; Gökşen, F. Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, [Publisher Location], v. 0, n. 0, p. -, 2019.
Chicago: Author-Date Style
Ergin, Murat, and Fatoş Gökşen. 2019. “Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0, no. 0: -. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
Chicago: Humanities Style
Ergin, Murat, and Fatoş Gökşen. “Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0, no. 0 (May. 2023): -. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
Harvard: Australian Style
Ergin, M & Gökşen, F 2019, 'Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye', Journal of Economy Culture and Society, vol. 0, no. 0, pp. -, viewed 28 May. 2023, https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
Harvard: Author-Date Style
Ergin, M. and Gökşen, F. (2019) ‘Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye’, Journal of Economy Culture and Society, 0(0), pp. -. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689 (28 May. 2023).
MLA
Ergin, Murat, and Fatoş Gökşen. “Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society, vol. 0, no. 0, 2019, pp. -. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
Vancouver
Ergin M, Gökşen F. Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye. Journal of Economy Culture and Society [Internet]. 28 May. 2023 [cited 28 May. 2023];0(0):-. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689 doi: 10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
ISNAD
Ergin, Murat - Gökşen, Fatoş. “Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership: Perceptions of the LGBTQ in Turkiye”. Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0/0 (May. 2023): -. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2022-1068689
