Dimensions of Turkish Femininity and Masculinity in the Texts of Witold Szabłowski

Abstract

This article examines the categories of femininity and masculinity within gender, cultural, and geopolitical discourses. It raises the question of whether these concepts should be viewed as an antinomy or as a dichotomy that structures social reality through the notion of natural opposition. Drawing on the theories of Judith Butler, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, and Jack Halberstam, the article explores the constructed and unstable nature of gender identities and their potential to subvert normative binaries. Particular attention is given to Orientalist discourse, where the masculine West is contrasted with the feminized East, serving as a tool of cultural hierarchy. In the literary dimension, the article analyzes representations of gender roles, the influence of essentialism, androcentrism, and stereotypes, as well as the role of queer narratives that challenge traditional models. Using Witold Szabłowski’s “Turkish Texts” as a case study, the paper addresses the grammatical gender-neutrality of the Turkish language. However, the patriarchal structure of Turkish society demonstrates that linguistic form does not guarantee gender equality. Literature is thus presented as a space in which gender representations are not only reproduced but also critically reinterpreted.