The Complexity of Military Bereavement in Gender Regime: Experiences of Turkish Martyr Spouses

Abstract

This feminist qualitative study investigates spousal bereavement experiences of Turkish martyr spouses within the context of gender regime, based on semi-structured interviews with 21 martyr spouses. From on the thematic analysis of these interviews, this study demonstrates that (1) the spousal bereavement process was complicated conjointly by traumatic and military context as well as martyrdom, (2) this complexity created conditions requiring struggle, and (3) coping resources were available to deal with this complexity. Further, it presents “how the Turkish gender regime affected the spousal bereavement process of martyr spouses.” This study finds that martyr spouses’ steps toward back to normal life, namely recovery after loss, were not supported or acknowledged by society. The authors propose the concept of “disenfranchised recovery” to explain this situation, based on concept of disenfranchised grief.