Interpreting Manhood Through Faith: Islamic Interpretations and Perceptions of Hegemonic Masculinity Among DKAB Educators in Diyarbakır

This study explores the intersection of religion and masculinity by examining how Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge (DKAB) teachers in Turkey construct male identity within the framework of Islamic teachings. Recognizing the formative functions of religion such as identity construction, internalization, and legitimisation the research problematizes the assumption that religion and masculinity can be understood as separate domains. Drawing on qualitative data derived from in-depth interviews; the study investigates how religions discourse interacts with hegemonic masculinity ideals and shapes devout male subjectivities. A total of 20 individuals were interviewed within the scope of the research. The scope of the study has been defined as Diyarbakır. Findings reveal that participants tend to sacralise traditional roles such as breadwinning, framing them as religiously endorsed obligations. However, many also reinterpret the Prophet Muhammad’s compassion, emotional expression, and involvement in domestic life as counter-narratives to dominant patriarchal norms. These reinterpretations suggest an on-going negotiation between religious devotion and cultural expectations of masculinity. The study contributes to the sociology of religion and gender by offering original insights into how Islamic narratives are selectively mobilized to both reinforce and resist hegemonic masculinity. In doing so, it underscores the dynamic and performative nature of religious masculinities, especially among educators tasked with transmitting religious values to future generations. This research not only highlights the role of religious texts in legitimizing male authority but also reveals spaces of reinterpretation and resistance, thereby expanding our understanding of gendered religiosity in contemporary Islamic contexts.