Abstract
As evidenced through its simultaneous development in disconnected societies, wrestling is the oldest and most basic form of human physical culture. Fostering the primal desire for control, the discourse surrounding the sport of wrestling often draws on the symbolism of masculinity (struggle, strength, determination, courage, etc.). The effects of time and distance led to the evolution of the regional variations witnessed today. One such variation in folk wrestling is yağlı güreş (oil wrestling), the national sport of Turkey. Through a Western heteronormative lens, the sport of oil wrestling, with its glistening and writhing bodies, does not perceptually coincide with the notion of “compulsory heterosexuality.” However, along with normalized platonic displays of same-sex affection (see hand-holding), oil wrestling epitomizes masculinity in Turkish culture, which is misunderstood by and at odds with traditional Western conceptions of masculinity. The aim of this sociocultural study is to bridge the gap in Western understandings of Turkish oil wrestling through an examination of Islamic body culture, masculine symbolism in folk wrestling, and Turkish gender dynamics.
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Notes
- 1.
Geographically, the Orient may refer to any one of, or the combination of, the following regions: The Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Asian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Far East.
- 2.
To note, the second Turkish national sport is cirit (or jereed), an equestrian team sport involving the use of blunted javelins to throw at opposition members in order to tag them out. Cirit and yağlı güreş (oil wrestling) comprise two of the three “manly sports” of wrestling, archery, and horsemanship, popularized through the military traditions of ancient Central Asian tribes, such as the Mongols or Huns. In fact, the three “games of men” comprise Mongolia’s three contemporary national sports, which are celebrated at the annual Naadam festival, whose traditional masculinity has been threatened in recent times by the inclusion of the first female competitors.
- 3.
As women are excluded from participation, masculine gender pronouns will be used in reference to oil wrestlers.
- 4.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established this register in 2008 in order to safeguard and promote the awareness of significant intangible cultural heritages (dance, sport, language, traditional practices, etc.) worldwide.
- 5.
Percentages of Muslims within the national populations are presented in parentheses. All percentages derived from the Pew Research Center (a Washington, DC, nonpartisan fact tank) religious profile projection for the year 2020 (Pew Research Center, “Religious Composition by Country, 2010–2050,” http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/percent/all/.)
- 6.
Thrace is the European part of Turkey, west of Istanbul.
- 7.
The World Bank, “Rural Population,” https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL?end=2016&locations=TR&page=1&start=1960&view=chart.
- 8.
To note, Western religious hegemony is not included in this list, as the formerly dominant Judeo-Christian denomination is increasingly being resisted, and recently destabilized, by the burgeoning atheist-agnostic movement. Either case, however, still has a Westernizing influence in the world.
- 9.
Netherlands (2001), Belgium (2003), Spain, Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway, Sweden (2009), Portugal, Iceland, Argentina (2010), Denmark (2012), Brazil, France, Uruguay, New Zealand (2013), England-Wales-Scotland (2014), Luxembourg, United States, Ireland (2015), Colombia (2016), Finland, Malta, Germany, and Australia (2017).
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Fabian, T. (2020). Turkish Oil Wrestling and the Western Gaze: Hegemonic Heteronormativity, Islamic Body Culture, and Folk Wrestling Masculinities. In: Magrath, R., Cleland, J., Anderson, E. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Masculinity and Sport. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19799-5_28
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