Türk Kültürü ve Hacı Bektaş Velî Araştırma Dergisi (Sep 2024)
GÖNÜLSÜZ ÇOCUKSUZLUK VE İNANÇ RİTÜELLERİ ÜZERİNE BİR ANLATI ARAŞTIRMASI: ESKİŞEHİR ŞÜCAEDDİN VELİ TÜRBESİ ÖRNEĞİ
Abstract
Throughout history, societies have addressed fertility issues in different ways. Although involuntary childlessness, also known as barrenness/infertility, touches upon various dimensions including psychological, social, economic and cultural, its biological aspect has gained prominence in the last quarter of the 20th century with the advancements in medicine. Meanwhile, holistic approaches grounded in bio-psychosocial understanding have emerged recently, and values and beliefs have begun to be part of treatment process. Accordingly, a growing literature on involuntary childlessness, emphasizing its psychological, social and cultural dimensions as well as its medical dimension has been observed. In this study, involuntary childlessness is addressed within the context of faith and spirituality. Different belief practices related to the desire of a child are observed both globally and in Türkiye. The social construction of these practices may vary based on historical era, region, religion or set of beliefs. Therefore, it is crucial to depict the ritual in a way that preserves its originality. In this study, the belief ritual performed at the tomb/shrine of Şücaeddin Veli in Eskisehir will be examined as an example of a ritual practiced with childless couples. Şücaeddin Veli holds an important place in Alevi-Bektashi faith. The Şücaeddin Veli Ocağı is also a significant center of Western Anatolian Alevism. Over the years, many couples have come here with the desire of having a baby and the presence of both Dede and Ana in each ritual as the practitioners of the ritual in addition to the couples, has enabled them to have a rich accumulation of experience. These experiences are important to understand and elucidate the relationship between the social construction of involuntary childlessness and the ritual of belief. In this study narrative analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with the ritual practitioners, Dede and Ana. The findings of the research are evaluated within the framework of the practices related to the performance of the ritual, the meaning of the practices, its relation with faith, cultural and the psychosocial outcomes.
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