Araştırma Makalesi

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

Cilt: 12 Sayı: 2 21 Eylül 2026
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Music, Oral Culture, and the Reproduction of Collective Memory among the Kurds of the South Caucasus

Öz

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 During the data collection process, Soviet-era Yerevan Radio archival recordings were examined; dengbêj narratives, historical documents, and the literature on ethnomusicology and Kurdish studies were evaluated through document analysis.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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

  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).

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

Türkçe

Konular

Kürt Dili, Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

21 Eylül 2026

Gönderilme Tarihi

20 Temmuz 2026

Kabul Tarihi

5 Eylül 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Cilt: 12 Sayı: 2

Kaynak Göster

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. 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 (01 Eylül 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”, Kurdish Studies, c. 12, sy 2, ss. 248–288, Eyl. 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 (01 Eylül 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. 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, c. 12, sy 2, Eylül 2026, ss. 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. Kurdish Studies. 01 Eylül 2026;12(2):248-8. doi:10.21600/ijoks.1999376

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Hasan Karacan 

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