Identity construction of trans women in Turkey

This MA thesis focuses on the lives of trans-identified individuals in Turkey based on a small-scale group of predominantly Istanbulite trans women in terms of their making sense of and negotiating a trans identity. The self-identified “friendship group” consists of trans women of all walks of life producing, reproducing, and transmitting interminable knowledge/discourse on transgenderism on-site and online. This research analyzes in the respective chapters the crucial aspects of trans identity construction: group-making, intimacy, and passing. This thesis investigates in every chapter how these aspects of trans subculture contribute to these women’s understanding of their trans/womanhood to create a space for themselves as active agents. This study explores how trans women construct their identities against the backdrop of living in increasingly conservative Turkey and in a larger context of identity politics