Local Peoples Metaphors on the Concept of Culture: The Case of Karamürsel District

OpenAlex İngilizce

This study aims to examine the metaphors used by the local people living in Karamürsel district to explain the concept of "culture". The following questions were addressed in the study: (1) Through which metaphors do the local people participating in the study explain their perceptions of the "Culture" concept? (2) Under which categories are these metaphors grouped in terms of their common features? In this study, the "phenomenology" qualitative research design was used. To reveal the metaphors of the participants regarding the "Culture" concept, forms were sent via Google Forms that had the phrase "Culture is like... because..." written on them. Participants were asked to focus on only one metaphor and express their thoughts. These forms returned by the participants constituted the main data source of this study as documents. Content analysis technique was used to evaluate the data. Accordingly, a temporary list of metaphors produced by the participants was created in alphabetical order. Each metaphor was analyzed in terms of its subject, source, and the relationship between the subject and source of the metaphor. Unsuitable metaphors were associated with a certain theme according to the perspective of the participant on the concept of "Culture", and conceptual categories were created. As a result of the study, participants produced 58 different metaphors for the concept of "culture". These metaphors were grouped under 9 different conceptual categories in terms of their common features. These categories are: "Importance", "Distinctive Features", "Reflectiveness", "Connectivity", "Diversity", "Guidance", "Progress and Change", "Integration", and "Life". Metaphors can be used as effective research tools, particularly in revealing and interpreting abstract and complex concepts.