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Paper short abstract

This study explores the role of women in the disaster legends of the Turkic World, analyzing the construction of female identity through Eagly’s Social Role Theory and a feminist perspective, revealing its cultural reflections, impact on society, and the gender-based challenges faced by women.

Paper long abstract

Every society develops gender stereotypes concerning the roles of women and men, defining the differences between the sexes at the social level. Within gender theory, these differences are largely explained by the Social Role Theory, which highlights the function of gender roles defined by society and taught to individuals in maintaining the continuity of the social order. An important means of transmitting these norms across generations is folk narratives, which serve as a significant cultural tool, enabling individuals to internalize social norms and adapt to them. This study focuses on the disaster legends of the Turkic World, which stand out for fulfilling this function. Based on Eagly’s gender theory within the Social Role Theory framework and adopting a feminist perspective, it examines the construction of female identity in these legends, its cultural reflections, and its impact on contemporary society. Legends, which gain meaning within the cultural and social contexts of the societies that produce them, act as powerful instruments for conveying the roles attributed to women and men and transmitting the behavioral patterns societies intend to perpetuate. Characterized by their claim to reality, their association with specific places and times, and their strong elements of belief, these legends are not merely remnants of the past; they play a crucial role in shaping contemporary social values and behavioral patterns. Accordingly, this study reveals how disaster legends in the Turkic World reflect historical gender stereotypes, demonstrate the social construction of female gender, and highlight the gender-based challenges faced by women.