Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
7th International Conference on Gender Studies: GENDER, SPACE, PLACE & CULTURE, Gazimagusa, Kıbrıs (Kktc), 10 - 12 Ekim 2019, ss.16
The social constructions of gender are
continuously reproduced through the arrangement of spaces. Museums are one such
important site to critically assess how public space can play a role to reinforce
gender dichotomies. Previous studies have highlighted the gender-blind or
gender-neutral nature of the museums that are critical sites of reproducing the
constructions of ‘manhood’ and ‘womanhood’ (Porter,
1995). In this paper, applying the feminist methodology on
content analysis, we critically analyse the arrangement of space and artefacts in
the Kayseri Archaeology Museum in Kayseri Province of Turkey. It is an empirical
study and examines the representation of history through display, arrangement
and texts as the contents of the museum. In addition to physically visiting the
museum for data collection, we also interviewed the museum curator and staff to
integrate their perspectives into our observations. Our analysis shows that contrary
to the existing notion of conservativeness in this central Anatolian region,
the arrangement of the museum is quite gender-conscious. The study site remains
a resourceful institution to enrich the understanding of women’s lives and
their important contributions in the ancient Assyrian and Anatolian
civilizations. The display highlights women’s legal and political rights and
affiliations with major space allocations. This conscious choice of placing and
prioritizing women and their objects at the forefront of the museum ensured women’s
visibility beyond the traditionally defined scopes through decorative and
wearable artefacts.