Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
HITIT THEOLOGY JOURNAL, cilt.21, sa.1, ss.533-566, 2022 (ESCI)
It is observed that classification of generation, which is frequently applied to analyse a wide range of fields from political analysis to daily life practices, has been situated on a quite problematic ground. Generation issue has either been dealt with the previous generation, more frequently the new generation, or has been discussed at the crossroad of future conception of political or ideological areas. In this study, we aim to analyse the sociocultural background of generation perception and the differences based on its intellectual conception. We especially intend to scrutinize the reality of current discourses such as a bad generation is emerging, generations are getting alienated to religion, culture and values, and to analyse the perception of generation, a conception upon which these discourses built. Generation perception fed by the tensions produced by socio-cultural differentiation and the anxiety of the next generation resulting from these tensions as a background analysis have been used as a basis both for the expectations of the previous generations from the next generations and the domination they want to establish on them, and for the state policies carried out over the generations. Societies try to shape their future through the strategies they develop over generations. At this point, generational politics and generation perception may include political expectations together with the actual problems arising from a particular period. While future visions produced by the state are understandable and legitimate to a certain extent, the fact that the same monopoly could be observed in the organization of nongovernmental organizations and groups shows the problematic dimensions of the concept of generational perception. Relatively utopian and anachronistic discourses in the history of Turkey such as long-awaited generation, Ataturkist youth, Buyuk Dogu (Great East) youth, ideal youth construct the foundations of legitimacy through socio-political processes in addition to instrumentalizing social anxiety to produce ideological discourses. The sample of the study, which deals with the perception of generation more problematically on the basis of anxiety and expectation, consists of X and Y religious middle-class residents of Antalya province based on economic and lifestyle. The middle-class concept is grounded on the classical stratification and lifestyle-based epistemological approach to status groups. In the context of the religious middle class, the adjective "religious" is based on the selfdeclarations of the participants and this usage is preferred due to the central positioning of religion in their daily lives. Having the same cultural capital or lifestyle is actually a factor that narrows the generational differentiation. However, the fact that it is the same group that most objects to generational differentiation can be interpreted as the reason for our conceptualization of generational perception. In the texts written on generation, the following categories are included in general terms: The Silent Generation (before 1946), Baby Boomer Generation (1946-64), Generation X (1965-1979), Generation Y (1980-2000), Gen Z (after 2001). Specific to this study, from field data the categories are as follows: Religious Middle Class Generation X (1965-1980). Transition Period Generation X-Y (1976-1985) and The Last Generation Y (1986-2000). The core of the study, which is based upon qualitative paradigm, is generated by qualitative data techniques, in-depth interview and focus group discussions. The in-depth interview technique based on the semi-structured interview form have been used in the research and the participants have been selected with snowball or chain reference sampling. In this context, in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 people and a focus group study was conducted with 19 people, which means totally 53 participants, who belong to different ages and occupational groups, and define themselves or their family as religious/conservative, have been included in this study as the sample of the study. Upon repetition of the responds, it is thought that the data has reached at the saturating point so data collecting process is ended up. As a result of the data obtained from the field, it seems that it is more important in understanding the issue of the conceptualization of generation perception and its resolution through differentiation rather than conflict. In the study, since it contains current and problematic references, the concept generation is preferred. It has been observed that the Religious Middle Class Generation X gives a lot of space to concepts such as awareness, consciousness and ideal in the analysis of generations, based on the projections of the periods they lived in. The concern for equalization between generations on the intellectual and practical level transforms differentiation into conflict. It can be stated that the religious generation X-Y of the transition period brought the concern of understanding the generations more to the fore. We can say that for the transition generation that creates the philosophy of life with questioning and personal patterns the meaning of generation is more central. Although The Last Generation Y is expressed as the new generation, their concerns about the next generation draw attention.