Communities of practice and rural women's empowerment: Insights from a case study of grassroots cooperative in Turkey

Gokce N., YILDIZ A.

JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES, cilt.119, 2025 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 119
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103813
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, CAB Abstracts, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Environment Index, Index Islamicus, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Community of practice, Gender, Rural, Women empowerment, Women's agricultural development cooperative
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study investigates the impact of a women's agricultural development cooperative, as a community of practice, on the empowerment of its members. Focusing on the Zeyniler & Ccedil;al & imath;kus,u Women's Agricultural Development Cooperative in Turkey, the study adopts a case study approach. Based on semi-structured interviews, the study shows how sharing knowledge, learning, services and practices shape women's empowerment experiences. The cooperative not only provides income-generating opportunities but also serves as a platform for gender awareness, decision-making, and legal awareness. Findings underline that active participation in the cooperative, sharing, and learning within the cooperative transform women's roles, enabling them to challenge traditional gender norms and enhance their spatial mobility, self-confidence, and collective agency. The impact of all these factors is strongly associated with social empowerment. Other forms of empowerment experienced within the cooperative include psychological, economic, and social empowerment. Furthermore, the cooperative's impact extends beyond its members, encouraging other village women to participate in public life and redefine their social roles. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that women's cooperatives are a community of practice that functions as transformative spaces that promote not only economic empowerment but also broader gender equality and social development.