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Yaprak Dökümü : Superordinated Men & Subordinated WomenIntroductionRoger Silverstone depicts the role of television in domestic

setting by “ Television is a domestic medium . It is watched at

home . Ignored at home . Discussed at home . Watched in Private

and with the members of family or friends . But it is part of

our domestic culture in other ways too ... ” ( Silverstone,

1994 ) . Here it is very obvious on how the television has a

significant effect on our daily life . He also adds “

Television is a medium of considerable power ... We need to

think about the television as a psychological , social and

cultural form …” ( Ibid, 1994 ) The power which is streamed

along way of the screen towards its audiance , has a profound

effect on designing our way of looking through the world ,

defining our perspective . Here the machine television is the

society's 'the-be all and end-all' of their domestic

environment . Mostly favoured products are called “ soap operas

”. Because “ [S]oap operas effect society through changing the

behavioural patterns of viewers ( Hmasaeed 2013: 333 ) ” So “

2

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communication[V]iewers are influenced by the transmitted images and they

tend to accept the viewed behaviour as being to , or providing

a model for , their own behaviour ( Ibid 2013: 334 ) . ” In

Turkish Soap Operas' design of scenarios , at the case of

Yaprak Dökümü , are contributing to male superiority over women

among the Turkish community. By looking from the perspective of

radical feminism , broadcasting of the representation of

stereotypic characters lead everybody to think in what “ should

” be roles of gender roles among the community . Today's active

audience are affected from that media “ text ” . In that

patriarchic cultural setting,by taking model of communication

of Feminist media theory , The sender of this message is “ MEN

” . The message that they want to convey is “ Stereotype ” and

lastly the effect that they want to perpetuate is to “ SEXISM ”

. The message actually is a “ men’s ” power . The depiction of

masculanity are portraied and accepted the men as a power in

society and violent in physical manner . The way of gender

representation leads an assumptions about how men need to act

in society , how they give an attitude between each other , and

the way of treating women and children around them . In this

paper , I would like to explain how the system of patriarchy

3

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationworks in the Tv series of depicted along the way of male is

super-power ; the TV series called Yaprak Dökümü takes the

leading men “ Ali Rıza Bey ” as a center of family . It has

family institution considered as a place to be place for

oppressing women . At all cases actually , Gender Inequalities

pushes aside the women, as a human being and showed in a manner

of they are under control of their counter - gender and how

those react this discrimination . Yaprak Dökümü ( English: The

Fall of Leaves ) is Turkish television series which is standing

on the novel of the same name by Reşat Nuri Güntekin . The

series premiered on 13 September 2005 on Kanal D , and finalled

its fifth and final season on 29 December 2010 , including 174

episodes at overall . The cast is : Ali Rıza Tekin by Halil

Ergün ; Hayriye Tekin by Güven Hokna ; Fikret Tekin by Bennu

Yıldırımlar ; Leyla Tekin by Gökçe Bahadır ; Necla Tekin by

Fahriye Evcen ; Şevket Tekin by Caner Kurtaran ( IMDb, 2006) .

The scene have been shooted in Istanbul , Turkey , and it

gyrating around the fictional family caled Tekin , which their

arrival in Istanbul cut their family down, and alter them in a

way they never ever imagine . My argument in this paper is what

4

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationlies behind on the television on showing stertypical model behaviours of the

tradaditional man and women in the soap opeara of Yaprak Dökümü

Masculinities Masculanity has been started to be studied in the academia

during the social changes happened in 70s and by the influences

of feminist movement . They are actually making elaborations

and questioning of roles of men ( Campell, 2000 ; Hearn &

Morgan, 1990 ) . With the previous assumptions , the label of

“ male ” has been equivalented to the culturally defined

( normative ) reference to all experiences of human being .

However, “ men ” were not accepted in a way of explicit label .

So it was invisible among researches of social sciences .

( Conell, 1987 ; Kimmel, 1987 ) . Since the masculinity is

structured socially by the effect of space and time ,

researches argee on that it is more rational to put it forward

as “ Masculanities ” ( Campell, 2000 ; Connell, 1987 ; Kimmel,

1987) . “ hegemonic masculinity ” is the concept that

explaining how any society is constructing a dominant profile

of masculinity by ‘ referancing ’ the norms engulfing attitudes

and behaviours of masculinity . Beside , There is also other

forms of masculinities , existing like counter , marginalized

5

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationand subordinated masculinities ( Connell 1995 ) . Those types ,

as to say , are not fed from neither followed cultural ideals

nor institutional power .

Social environments define the masculinity in specific but

consider gender in general as Connell, Hearn and Kimmel

targets. The masculinity progresses along way of a system of

exceptation of gender and biased ideas about what ‘ refers ’ to

a man . Sort of ideas and expectations prescribe and configure

representations and social practices of people in relation to

sort of other factors like age , race , social class and

sexuality . Variety of social factors have an intersecting

effect which has been theorized in the beginging of 90s .

Intersectional theory was being cultivated by feminist scholar

as a reciprocation to gender which have been seen as a limited

and mono - analytical category of analysis ( McCall, 2005 ) .

Under this theory , gender-related issues have gained more

complexity and multi - dimensional perspective rather than

having mono - dimensional and “ simple ” standing towards the

same issues ( Crenshaw, 1991 ) . While analysing Ali Rıza Bey

characters as hegemony center , we are required to find out

what intersects play a role on their masculinity . we need to

6

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationtake these conditions into acccount : For Ali Rıza Bey , he is

playing a father at more than fifty years old, with five

children – the four are women and the one is men. He is

retarded from district governorship . He is is head of tightly-

knit family . He is doing it with the dominant behaviours over

everyone in the family . This is actually the way of showing

traditional father figure . He is very keen on morals and

ethics of Turkish culture . Also , his position throughout his

district - governor career is also a another intersect for his

domination . Having that managial back - up lead him to reflect

the same to the house . However , there is also on going crisis

of masculinity between Ali Rıza Bey and his son Şevket . He is

the another male figure . He is the so - called nominee of the

father position of the family . The type of masculinity from

Ali Rıza Bey and from Şevket are different in one another .

Whereas Ali Rıza Bey is much like having a dominant effect on

the family with his age and life experiences , Şevket comes up

with different approach but lately changing to father .

Intersectional theory evaluates the way how those gendered

individuals setteled down by social factors mentioned above and

by other sources of agents . It has an affect social

7

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationrepresetation of masculinity in the society . In Turkey ,

traditionally - constructed masculinity is formed when those

stages have been accomplised successfully ; circumcision ,

military service , getting a job and marriage ( Selek, 2008 ;

Sancar, 2009 ; Özbay 2013 ). Most of the men accepts military

service and having job as an important step for “ growing into

manhood ( Selek,2008 ) ” . Successful accomplishment of all

these stages is shown by an alteration from the routines of

home . Ali Rıza Bey offers his chair to Fikret sit . At ethnic

domestic manner of Turkey , The one who is sitting at the chair

, that is positioned at the head of table , represents the

manner of governence . In Ali Rıza’s perspective, since his son

done all stages , then he become the ‘ evin erkeği ’ ( headman of

the house ) . So he has got to power to carry out what Ali Rıza

did for his family . Therefore, there is something more at the

infrastructure of that masculinity that intesifying the role of

men in that socio-culture. Also , Roles are shifting form one

to another since the power is materialized. In Yaprak Dökümü,

power is connoted and materialized by a head - chair of the

table . This apprenhension is a very - widespread in

tradational and morely conservative family structure.

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Mahmut UçanMedia & Communication

Hegemonic masculinity as a dominant ideologyVast individuals would agree on a fact that the masculinity

which has socially constructed masculinity seem very valuable

among than others . The value is throughly obtained on a base

of relationship to discourses of dominant ideology . In Turkish

discourse , the ideology is formed by taking all those external

factors and plus religion . Turkish Culture depends seriously

on pathriarchal structure that leads male dominance over

women . According to Gerda Lerner ( 1986 ) , male dominated

society is regarding on cultural transmision from very

beginning of privilage societies to agricultural societies .

Men saw childbirth as an advantage in order to control women.

Wife of Ali Rıza , Hayriye Tekin is a displayed mother

character having a four children – Şevket , Fikret , Leyla and

Necla . This perception itself led to acceptance of people as

property . Moreover , as time goes by , religion and religioun-

in-law made subjuction of women not completely acceptable , but

the acceptable only by option . Thus , religion here acts as a

tool for maintaining the hegemony of man in that societies .

Religions , as its related verses bring into view , are in

favour of depiction of heterosexual male character . Under the

shed of this religious ideology , hegemonic masculinity is

9

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationstructurulized by the practices of male - gender which

legitimizes pathriarchy and heterosexuality . It is clear to

say that these legitimized configurations guarantess dominant

place men and recessive place of women . Connell (1995) argues

hegemonic masculinity promotes an access to it for those

males . Thus , hegemonic masculinity serves itself as a

powerful tool which sustains and secures the social order .

So , it is actually performance of social authority . In the

Turkish setting , the masculine shows off different

performances for sustaining the autherity and the position of

rullership . According to Sancar , with the effect of post-

industrial era , dominant masculine has undergone a

configuration which then lead to “ male confliction ” . For

instance , blue-collar masculine image undergone a revision and

men find himself with the ‘ crises ’ while forming the new

image for masculinity . They directed themselves toward finding

out diffrent rulling strategies like nationalism , racism and

violance in order to protect masculine identity ( 2009; 122-

123).

Since those changes is progressing along way , with the

emplacement of post-industrial era , hegemonic masculity come

10

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationup with the changes in itself . During that continuum ,

military service comes first on questioning its hegemonic

status while constructing the masculinity . “ Up until today of

Turkey , the modernity has been shifted from the image of

military man – also known as ‘ Mehmetçik ’ – to businessman who

is globalizing for economic progress ” (Ibıd, 2009). The

reason of shifting is that, Özbay (2013) adds , convetable

masculinity from neoliberal economic system demands rapid and

strategic promotion opportunity , individualism and money -

oriented conceptualization but army does not satify the

expectations with strict dicipline and its hierarchy ( 189 -

190 ) .

Hegemonic masculity has also alternated in terms of physcal

properties and age of a men . Since the previous societies have

been settled down over the rullings of old men but now post -

industrialized societies now accepts the hegemony of ‘ fit ’

men who are techno-friendly , body – centred , self -

sufficient and working for long time . ( Özbay , 2013 : 190 -

191 ) . In other words , authority in family , in that new

era , is transfered from old men to working young men . Once

looking toward the hegemonity within socio - class axis , “

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Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationwhite-collared , careering , owner of house or car , or working

to own house and car , married with carrering women and on the

way of marriage ” men profile is both hegemonitez and idealized

. While considering all those , It is impossible to designate a

one type of hegemonic man in Turkey . Some features come into

prominence but some retrogades . This struggle is endlessly in

progress . For that reason , it is seemed more rational to

analyse that changing pattern of hegemonic masculinity with in

a narrowed sample – a television series.

Hegemonic men representation in Turkish Media DiscourseMacnamara (2006) asserts that masculinity studies not only

encompasses both behavioristic models of adult males and

socalization process – including different cultural and social

activities – of adolesscene males , but having a wide range

spectrum where media representations are opted into that

studies . Media texts have also an imporant role on defining

the certain masculinity profile in order to have an arbiter

position verbally and physically . As Schrock and Schwalbe

( 2009 ) suggets media images provide an symbolic language for

12

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationwhat behavioral practices lead to shaping a certain masculinity

model ( p.183 ) . Mass media tools are responsible for creating

a hegemonic masculine fantasies and become supportive of

these . So shaping of common male-attitudes in a society are

moulded by those fantastic male images . Also , Meral (2011)

emphasizes the way of media encodes the messages of hegemonic

males ’ hegemonity by means of how he should look , behave ,

dress and say , carry significant role for sustaing its

hegemonity .

Hegemonic masculinity has been studied ( Erdoğan , 2011 )

in media by investigating their appereances and build process

of it , in male magazines , movies, soap operas ,

advertiments , reports , sport - based discussion programs and

lastly Internet environment ; they found out that exhange in

masculinity figuration is time and space dependent. For

instance, in research exploration of turkish cinema, From 1990

to 2000, All those findings are surrounded around the idea of ‘

masculinity crisis ’ . ( Yüksel, 2013 ) . Once you analyze the

structure of Turkish soap opera’s setting structure , the

character profiles are formed within the man who has over

superiority against women characters within the pathriarcal

13

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationsystem representeters . Also , masculine hegemonity could be

beter explained by focusing on the power relations between

males via soap operas with high raitings .

The first hegemonic representations on turkish soap operas

in 1990 was Aynalı Tahir by leading actor Alişan. Hyper-

masculine model as Aynali Tahir reached an enormous audiance

and also he produces catchphrases aligned with masculinity in

Turkey. Afterly , male chacaters in the other soap operas like

Asmalı Konak , Deli Yürek and Ezel have ilustrated their

hegemony in different mannner. Their social statues, financial

conditions and educational leves intersect while defining their

masculinity but all are at the dominant place on bilateral

relations with the women. Moreover, being ‘ fearless ’, not

into violence prone but not hesitate to resort a force in case

and ‘ honest and brave ’ are their salient common features.

However , Yaprak Dökümü is remarkable in the case of setting a

hegemonc masculinity in a different way and power shifting

among the males. Since all powers have been going through with

the subject of women in, It is required to analyze the position

of women in that framework.

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Mahmut UçanMedia & Communication

Women Representation, Family and HegemonyThe term of feminism is difficult to prescribe since it

involves variety of ideas and aspects. The common assumption on

feminism is that concerns, experiences, ideas of females as

much important as males ’. Equality in respectness and

seriousness are a must among all . All those feminist theorists

’ main purpose is to comprehend the origins and ongoing nature

of devaluation of women in society ( Steeves, 1987 ; Anderson,

1993 ; Hennessy , 1993 ) . Here , the concern is portroyal of

women in media . It is pointed out that position of women model

being oppressed in pathriarchal capitalism, reproduced and

sustained with the help of practice of pathriarchal ideology

through media . Those media studies have conducted to find out

the way of media reprsentation . So it can figure out the way

potrayals , in the media texts , can function imposing the

dominant ideology ( Grossberg & Treichler 1987 ; 270 - 280 ) .

The vast range of feminist media studies have found out

the female image is being depicted as a devoted homemakers

within the edge of , as Trierce ( 1999 ) and Wood ( 1994 ) says

, correct womenhood having the features of domesticity ,

piety , purity and submissiveness . In addition, at women

15

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationrepresentation , scholars also involved the system of family as

a manner of mythical representation , in media ( Lopate 1976 ;

Brundson 1983 ) . In Turkish media , the producers are favoring

to represent stable nuclear family or ‘ male - head’ of family

seeking to stabilize that family( e.g. Yaprak Dökümü ) .

Producers would prefer those kind of representations due to

the reasons ; either financial interest of a private television

channels’ system that must suppose a “ family audience ”

because of its domestic location ( Press 1991 ; 18 ) or there

is vast socio-political dealings about rise in divorce-rate and

the significance of family over capitalism ( Booth 1980 ) .

Nevertheless , The emergence of popular feminism points

toward changing of women-representation as well as pathriarchal

family structure in media . In the recent times , most of the

feminist scholars legitimatise the existance of feminist

dealings in many of popular space . Some few have an optimistic

approach to popular feminism since images and discourses in

media - texts are accessible to feminist remoulding . However ,

lots of scholar yet believe that those popular forms do not

literally cause a change in current social order which base on

discrimination in gender since , in order to involve in that

16

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationmain stream , feminism would be befitted to dominant ideology .

So that it leads to its absence of its ‘ radical potential ’

and become adhered to heavier conservative lineups ( Hollows

2000 ) . As a matter of fact , documentation of media

representations by many of scholars , is re-examining feminist

progression in the way of put them to function to substantiate

dominant pathriachal discourses and codes ( Hallstein , Shugart

& Waggoner 2001 ; Baehr, 1980 ; Vavrus 2002 ) . The

inconsistency at media representation with regards to

pathriarcal family structure and gender identity may be

sharpened its comprehension by implementing the theory of

hegemony with the rapport of communication and culture . The

dominant figure , as a father position , are always in the case

of dictation of his cultural norms and that norms are

stuructrued by the ethics. Ali Rıza is seeking to befit his

young daughters in his dominant ideology – Necla and Ceyda.

However, Fikret, his oldest daugter, is acting as backbone of

his father. She is trying to enforce the sanctions of his

father to her young sisters. Fikret is positioning at the

middle of conservative lineup . She is serving her attitude

along with what dominant hegemonic masculine ideology back - up

17

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communication. Most probably the producers have thought that the name of

Fikret which is mostly denominated to males in Turkey . Thus ,

she acts under ‘drug’ influence of hegemony and very supporter

her father’s decissions.

Nevertheless, Necla and Ceyda are , with Hallian wording, the

codes of substentiation of dominant hegemonic masculinity .

Their contumacy to Ali Rıza’s moral and ethic enforcement does

not work on those women . The subordinated position of them is

allowed a space by the hegemonic system. For instance , both

have get married with the man of their choice Although their

father were not in favour of that man . The resullt of their

own choice have lead on being kicked out of the house . However

, since the final season approaching, the producers made the

father again a right person in terms of all his words

legitimized .

ConclusionIn this paper , I elaborated on the issue that how the position

of women and men are different from each other in media , with

effects of pathriarchal social structure . I have used Yaprak

Dökümü as a media spectacle for defining the role of men in the

Turkish family structure over women . The act of men have set

18

Mahmut UçanMedia & Communicationby considering the what hegemonic masculinity expect from a man

on structuring its masculinity . Ali Rıza Tekin has gained its

power from the social factors which intersects on its own

definition . As the times goes by , the definition hegemonic

masculinity have changed . The power in house manegement also

shifted from one man to another . The women has been

matterialized and oppresed in a way . The women is like birth-

giver only since the mother role is depicted in a way . The

eldest children Fikret is aligned with the rules of pathriarchy

from what her father is telling through . As a different from

that Necla and Leyla is like a voice coming out of repression

through out the series but at the end , they have again

positioned in a place on what their father has tell them his

truthts. This also shows the winner of masculinity crises is a

Ali Rıza Bey.

Last but not least, pathriarchy is a a male-dominated , trans

historical and global. Families are considered to be place for

oppressing women. Soap operas is used in that way for showing

the pathriarchy. Producers who joins with the pathriarchy to

longetimate the domination of a man , prefering these formats

under the effects of those production companies .

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Mahmut UçanMedia & Communication

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