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Experiencing Tango in Istanbul: an Assessment from a Gender Perspective

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Experiencing Tango in Istanbul: an Assessment from a Gender Perspective TR YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES M.A. PROGRAMME M.A. THESIS EXPERIENCING TANGO IN ISTANBUL: AN ASSESSMENT FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE MELİS MERİH KILIÇ 10728003 THESIS SUPERVISOR ASST. PROF. DR. KEREM KARAOSMANOĞLU ISTANBUL 2013.. TR YILDIZ TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES M.A. PROGRAMME M.A. THESIS EXPERIENCING TANGO IN ISTANBUL: AN ASSESSMENT FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE MELİS MERİH KILIÇ 10728003 THESIS SUPERVISOR ASST. PROF. DR. KEREM KARAOSMANOĞLU ISTANBUL 2013.. ÖZ İSTANBUL’DA TANGO DENEYİMİ: TOPLUMSAL CİNSİYET PERSPEKTİFİNDEN BİR DEĞERLENDİRME Melis Merih Kılıç Ağustos, 2013 Bu tez İstanbul’daki tango dansçılarının ‘toplumsal cinsiyet’ kavramı algılarını ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Özellikle, dansçıların tangodaki ‘kadın’ ve ‘erkek’ rollerine nasıl büründükleri, bu rolleri nasıl yorumladıkları ve bu role geçiş için onları ne tür faktörlerin motive ettiği araştırılmıştır. Tangoda, kadınların normalde kaçındıkları erkeğin boyunduruğu altına girme; erkeklerin ise maço olarak anılmak istemedikleri için kendilerini vazgeçmeye mecbur hissettikleri kadınlara hükmetme rollerine büründükleri varsayımıyla hareket edilmiştir. Bu varsayımı değerlendirmek için katılımcı gözlem ve sezgisel araştırma yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Dansçıların duygu ve düşüncelerinin derinine inmek için derinlemesine mülakat yönteminden yararlanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular söylem analiziyle yorumlanmıştır. Tezde, dans tarihi, dans ve kültürel çalışmalar ve dans, beden ve toplumsal cinsiyet ilişkisi ile ilgili çalışmalardan yararlanılmıştır. Ayrıca, tangonun Buenos Aires’ten İstanbul’a kadar uzanan tarihine ve nasıl bir dans türü olduğuna dair bilgilere yer verilmiştir. Tango cinsiyetçi bir danstır ve dans, içerisindeki cinsiyet rolleri icra edilerek yapılır. ‘Toplumsal cinsiyet ve performans’ kuramının iddia ettiği gibi gündelik hayatta bize sunulan ‘kadınlık’ ve ‘erkeklik’ özelliklerine bağlı olarak ‘kadın olma’ ve ‘erkek olma’ halleri icra edildiği gibi, tango içerisinde de ‘lider’ ve ‘takipçi’ rolleri üstlenilerek yine bir cinsiyet performansı sergilenmektedir. Araştırma bulgularına göre bu rolleri hakkıyla icra etmek dansçılar açısından bir başarı ölçütü ve mutluluk kaynağı olmuştur. Dansçılar söz konusu ‘lider’ ve ‘takipçi’ rollerinin gerekliliklerine cevap verebildikleri sürece başarılı hissetmekte ve talep görmektedirler. İlk etapta adaptasyon sorunu yaşasalar bile, tango dili öğrenildiğinde bu rollere adapte olmak ve iyi bir şekilde gerçekleştirmek için ellerinden geleni yaptıkları tespit edilmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler :Tango, İstanbul, Türkiye, Arjantin, Buenos Aires, Dans, Sosyal Dans, Cinsiyet, Toplumsal Cinsiyet, Danstaki Roller iii ABSTRACT EXPERIENCING TANGO IN ISTANBUL: AN ASSESSMENT FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE Melis Merih Kılıç August, 2013 This dissertation is about figuring out the idea of ‘gender’ among tango dancers in Istanbul. Specifically, how individuals move in and out of the female and male roles in tango; the interpretation of these roles and the motivating factors beyond to tailoring of these roles were subject to search. I started with the assumption that in tango women voluntarily accept a role of the obedience to man that they work to avoid in their regular life. Whereas men gain legitimation for the sovereignty of leading a woman that they felt obliged to leave so that they are not labeled as macho. In order to evaluate my assumption, I used participant observation and heuristic research methods. Besides, I applied to in-depth interviews for deep probing of thoughts and feelings of tango dancers. The findings were interpreted by using discourse analysis. Theoretically, I got benefit of studies made in dance history, the relationship between dance and cultural studies, body, and gender. Also, I gave place to researches concerning tango: both its history worldwide, in Turkey and its structure. Tango is a gendered dance. In fact, doing tango is performing gender roles itself. Likewise a person who personates a ‘woman’ or ‘man’ by choosing some already determined features that fit with her alleged gender as ‘performative gender theory’ suggests; tango dancers also choose and wear on roles that are presented to them in the name of being ‘leader’ or ‘follower’. According to research findings, I could say that performing gender roles in tango became a measure of success. Dancers feel satisfied to the degree they reply the requirements of these roles. In the adaptation phase, there could be some difficulties. However, when they learn to express themselves in the tango language, they try their best in order to fit to these tailored roles. Keywords :Tango, Istanbul, Turkey, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Dance, Social Dance, Sex, Gender, Roles in Dance iv FOREWORD My tango story started just by coincidence, but now I am doing tango for almost three years. Maybe, I attended hundreds of tango events in Turkey. Moreover, when I went abroad, I danced tango in different countries. I cannot call my tango as ‘hobby’, a ‘social activity’, or just a ‘fun’. My tango is all of these and more. It is a tool for expression of ‘self’. Like the color you like, the way you dress, and the movies you enjoy; how you dance tango also tells something about you. It was for the first time in my life, I confronted with something that has such a high expressive power. It was a shocking and impressive experience for me. Even this experience led me writing a dissertation about it. However, writing a dissertation about tango was a completely different experience from dancing it. Obviously, I was not alone in this difficult process. There were many valuable people around me who, with their worthy supports, made this challenging process enjoyable for me. First of all, I would like to thank to my supervisor Asst. Assoc. Dr. Kerem Karaosmanoğlu for his sincere support and encouragement. His motivating speeches and important academic contributions enabled me to continue writing especially in times when I got depressed. I also owe a big thank to the Head of Humanities and Social Sciences Department, Prof. Dr. M. Sait Özervarlı. He showed a genuine interest to my research subject from the beginning. He was open to any kind of request for help and he spared no effort from me during this process. Also, I would like to thank to all my professors for their valuable contributions. I am grateful to my family, without their love and understanding everything would be much more difficult. Finally, I want to thank to ‘tango’ for entering to my life and being a source of inspiration for my dissertation. Istanbul, August 2013 Melis Merih Kılıç v TABLE OF CONTENTS THESIS APPROVAL PAGE ÖZ ...................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT....................................................................................................... iv FOREWORD..................................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................. vi 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................... 1 2. RESEARCHING TANGO: LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY............................................................................................ 4 2.1. Literature Review............................................................................. 4 2.1.1. Dance and Body................................................................. 5 2.1.2. Dance, Sex, Gender and Tango.......................................... 8 2.2. Methodology..................................................................................... 16 2.2.1. Participant Observation and Heuristic Research................ 17 2.2.2. In-Depth Interviews........................................................... 18 2.2.3. Discourse Analysis............................................................ 20 3. THE JOURNEY OF TANGO: FROM BUENOS AIRES TO ISTANBUL 21 3.1. Roots: The Colonial Period (16th to 19th Century)............................................................................................................... 22 3.2. The Growth of Tango: 1870s to World War I.................................. 25 3.3. Tangomania: 1920s and 1930s and Golden Age of Tango............... 31 3.4. From Underground to Revival.......................................................... 35 3.5. Global Renaissance: 1985 to Present................................................ 37 3.6. The Past of Tango in Turkey............................................................. 38 4. WOMANHOOD AND MANHOOD STANCES AMONG TANGO DANCERS IN ISTANBUL................................................................................ 42 4.1. Tango: The First Step and the Rest.................................................... 43 4.2. The Tango of ‘Milongueros y Milongueras’ in Istanbul?.................. 50 4.3. Male Dancer and Masculinity in Tango............................................. 54 4.4. Female Dancer and Femininity in Tango........................................... 58 4.5. Gender Practise and Gender Play Among Tango Dancers................. 61 5. CONCLUSION................................................................................................. 71 RESOURCES.......................................................................................................
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