Research Article

Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus

Volume: 12 Number: 2 September 21, 2026
KU TR EN

Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus

Abstract

This study examines the function of music in the oral culture of Kurdish communities living in the South Caucasus in preserving collective memory and reproducing cultural identity. While research on Kurdish oral culture has generally been limited to one of the fields of language, folklore, history, or music, the impact of Soviet-era Yerevan Radio recordings on the oral musical tradition and the formation of collective memory has not been sufficiently addressed in the context of the South Caucasus. This research aims to evaluate this gap within the framework of music, oral culture, and memory studies. A qualitative research method was adopted in the study. During the data collection process, Soviet-era Yerevan Radio archival recordings were examined; dengbêj narratives, historical documents, and the literature on ethnomusicology and Kurdish studies were evaluated through document analysis. The data obtained were analyzed through an interpretive analysis method based on oral culture theory, the collective memory approach, and an ethnomusicological perspective. The findings indicate that music in the oral culture of South Caucasus Kurds plays a fundamental role in transmitting historical experiences, preserving collective memory, and reproducing cultural identity across generations. The findings also reveal that Soviet-era Yerevan Radio broadcasts played an important role in recording, circulating, and supporting the cultural continuity of the Kurdish oral repertoire. Modal structures, rhythmic organization, improvisational techniques, and instrumental diversity point to a multilayered musical structure shaped by Azerbaijani, Armenian, and Georgian musical traditions, as well as Soviet cultural policies. Consequently, the study demonstrates that South Caucasian Kurdish music is a dynamic cultural system through which historical memory, cultural identity, and social memory are reproduced through performance.

Keywords

References

  1. Ak, W. (2020). Destan û Stranên Kurdî. Weşanên Sitav.
  2. Allison, C. (2001). The Yezidi Oral Tradition in Iraqi Kurdistan. Curzon Press.
  3. Anderson, Benedict. (1983). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, London: Verso.
  4. Assmann, J. (2011). Cultural Memory and Early Civilization: Writing, Remembrance, and Political Imagination. Cambridge University Press.
  5. Babayiğit, M. V. (2020). Expressions of Determination, Success, Diligence, Stability and Laziness in Kurdish, Turkish and English Proverbs. International Journal of Kurdish Studies 6 (2), 244 -257, DOI: https://doi.org/10.21600/ijoks. 760441
  6. Babayiğit, M. V. (2021). Semantic Comparison of Some kinds of Adjectives: Samples from Kurdish, English and Turkish. In Balcı, T., Öztürk, O. & Aksöz, M. (Eds). Schriften Zur Sprache und Literatur V, (5th ed., pp. 67-75). Istanbul, Turkey: Çizgi Press.
  7. Babayiğit, M. V., & Pilatin, İ. (2025). Linguistic, cultural and historical analysis of the works of Kurdish dengbêjs and Western minstrels. Uluslararası Dil Edebiyat ve Kültür Araştırmaları Dergisi, 8(2), 515–528. https://doi.org/10.37999/udekad.1628949
  8. Bakhshaliyev, F. (2025). The Eastern modal (maqam) system and unequal temperament. Musicologist, 9(2).

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

Kurdish Language, Literature and Culture

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 21, 2026

Submission Date

July 20, 2026

Acceptance Date

September 5, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 12 Number: 2

APA
Çakmak, S. (2026). Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus. International Journal of Kurdish Studies, 12(2), 248-288. https://doi.org/10.21600/ijoks.1999376
AMA
1.Çakmak S. Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus. International Journal of Kurdish Studies. 2026;12(2):248-288. doi:10.21600/ijoks.1999376
Chicago
Çakmak, Songül. 2026. “Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory Among the Kurds of the South Caucasus”. International Journal of Kurdish Studies 12 (2): 248-88. https://doi.org/10.21600/ijoks.1999376.
EndNote
Çakmak S (September 1, 2026) Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus. International Journal of Kurdish Studies 12 2 248–288.
IEEE
[1]S. Çakmak, “Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus”, International Journal of Kurdish Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 248–288, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.21600/ijoks.1999376.
ISNAD
Çakmak, Songül. “Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory Among the Kurds of the South Caucasus”. International Journal of Kurdish Studies 12/2 (September 1, 2026): 248-288. https://doi.org/10.21600/ijoks.1999376.
JAMA
1.Çakmak S. Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus. International Journal of Kurdish Studies. 2026;12:248–288.
MLA
Çakmak, Songül. “Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory Among the Kurds of the South Caucasus”. International Journal of Kurdish Studies, vol. 12, no. 2, Sept. 2026, pp. 248-8, doi:10.21600/ijoks.1999376.
Vancouver
1.Songül Çakmak. Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus. International Journal of Kurdish Studies. 2026 Sep. 1;12(2):248-8. doi:10.21600/ijoks.1999376
  • NOTICE: All submissions will be accepted through the Manuscript Submission System. Please click on www.ijoks.com and register to submit a paper.      Downloads - Creative Commons
  • Publisher / Publishing Office
    Hasan Karacan 
  • Publisher Address
  • International Journal Of Kurdish Studies

    Bagcilar Mah. 1216 Street, Alinak Damla Sİtesi, B2/8, Baglar
    Diyarbakır, Türkiye

  • Telephone: +90 507 579 00 21

     

  • Email: editor@ijoks.com
    Website: https://www.ijoks.com