Turkish oil wrestling and the western gaze: Hegemonic heteronormativity, Islamic body culture, and folk wrestling masculinities

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 yal? goil 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.