Rhythms of Resistance: The Cultural Dynamics and Emotional Resonance of Iranian Rap in the Iranian Soundscape

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 21 Sayı: 1, 61 - 72, 31.01.2024

Nazanin Omri , Elif Başak Aksoy

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1392249

Öz

This paper delves into the dynamic interplay between Iranian rap music and its audience within Iran's socio-political context, marked by stringent censorship and authoritarianism. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from James C. Scott and Pierre Bourdieu, the study explores Iranian rap as a medium for 'hidden transcripts'—a subtle form of resistance against oppressive structures. Through qualitative analysis, including participant observation and in-depth interviews with Iranian rap listeners, the research uncovers the genre's emotional impact and its implications for individual and collective identity, cultural continuity, and political resistance. The findings reveal that Iranian rap music resonates deeply with Iranian youth, providing empowerment, solidarity, and a sense of community. It articulates a narrative of resistance, reflecting the complex interplay between fear and courage, nostalgia and loss, hope and aspiration. The music becomes a vehicle for expressing not only immediate frustrations but also broader societal aspirations. This paper contributes to the discourse on music as a form of cultural resistance, highlighting Iranian rap's role in shaping cultural identity and agency. It underscores the genre's significance in navigating life under a repressive regime and offers insights into how art can reflect and influence a society's socio-political dynamics. The study affirms the transformative potential of music, suggesting that creative expressions of resistance can foster hope and inspire collective action towards a more open and just society.The findings reveal that Persian rap music resonates deeply with Iranian youth, providing empowerment, solidarity, and a sense of community. It articulates a narrative of resistance, reflecting the complex interplay between fear and courage, nostalgia and loss, hope and aspiration. The music becomes a vehicle for expressing not only immediate frustrations but also broader societal aspirations.
This paper contributes to the discourse on music as a form of cultural resistance, highlighting Persian rap's role in shaping cultural identity and agency. It underscores the genre's significance in navigating life under a repressive regime and offers insights into how art can reflect and influence a society's socio-political dynamics. The study affirms the transformative potential of music, suggesting that creative expressions of resistance can foster hope and inspire collective action towards a more open and just society.

Anahtar Kelimeler

emotion, music, resistance, rap, culture, anthropology

Direnişin Ritimleri: İran Ses Manzarasında Farsça Rap'in Kültürel Dinamikleri ve Duygusal Yankısı

Öz

Bu makale, sıkı sansür ve otoriterizmle işaretlenmiş İran'ın sosyo-politik bağlamı içinde Farsça rap müziği ve dinleyicileri arasındaki dinamik etkileşimi ele alıyor. James C. Scott ve Pierre Bourdieu'den teorik çerçeveler çizerek, çalışma, baskıcı yapılarla mücadelede ince bir direniş biçimi olan 'gizli metinler' olarak Farsça rap'i inceliyor. Katılımcı gözlem ve İranlı rap dinleyicileriyle yapılan derinlemesine röportajlar da dahil olmak üzere nitel analiz aracılığıyla, araştırma, türün duygusal etkisini ve bunun bireysel ve kolektif kimlik, kültürel süreklilik ve politik direniş için olan sonuçlarını ortaya çıkarıyor. Bulgular, Farsça rap müziğinin İranlı gençlerle derinden yankı bulan güçlü bir altkültürel ifade biçimi olduğunu gösteriyor, onlara güçlendirme, dayanışma ve topluluk hissi sağlıyor. Müzik, korku ve cesaret, nostalji ve kayıp, umut ve arzu arasındaki karmaşık etkileşimi yansıtan bir direniş anlatısı oluşturuyor. Müzik, sadece dinleyicilerin anlık hayal kırıklıklarını ve arzularını ifade etmekle kalmıyor, aynı zamanda daha geniş toplumsal değişim arzularını da dile getiriyor. Bu makale, Farsça rap'in kültürel kimliği ve faliligi şekillendirmeki rolünü vurgulayarak bir kültürel direniş biçimi olarak müzik hakkındakı söylemlere katkıda bulunmaktadır.Türün, baskıcı bir rejim altında yaşamı yönlendirme ve müzakere etmedeki önemini vurguluyor ve sanatın bir toplumun sosyo-politik dinamiklerini yansıtma ve etkileme şekillerine dair içgörüler sunuyor. Çalışma, müziğin dönüştürücü potansiyelini doğruluyor, yaratıcı direniş ifadelerinin umut uyandırabileceğini ve daha açık ve adil bir toplum yönünde kolektif eyleme ilham verebileceğini öne sürüyor.

Anahtar Kelimeler

duygu, müzik, direniş, rap, kültür, antropoloji

Kaynakça

• Armstrong, R. P. (1971). The affecting presence: An essay in humanistic anthropology. University of Illinois Press.
• Azimi, P. (1979). Expression, interpretation, musicality and performance of Iranian pianists after the Islamic Revolution.
• Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and symbolic power. Harvard University Press.
• Deleuze, G. (1988). Spinoza: Practical philosophy. City Lights Books.
• Ehteshami, A. (2007). Iran’s politics and regional relations post-détente, perceptions. Journal of International Affairs, 12(1), 29-44.
• Gell, A. (1998). Art and agency: An anthropological theory. Clarendon Press.
• Golpushnezhad, Elham. (2018). Untold stories of DIY/underground Iranian rap culture: the legitimization of Iranian hip-hop and the loss of radical potential. Cultural Sociology, 12(2), 260-275.
• Hennell, K., Limmer, M., & Piacentini, M. (2020). Ethical dilemmas using social media in qualitative social research: A case study of online participant observation. Sociological research online, 25(3), 473-489.
• Larsson, G. (2012). The sound of satan: Different Aspects of whispering in Islamic Theology, Temenos-Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 48(1), 49-64.
• Leavitt, J. (1996). Meaning and Feeling in the Anthropology of Emotions. American Ethnologist, 23(3), 514-539.
• Majd, F. (2011). Nafirnameh. Mahoor Cultural and Artistic Publishing House, 1st edition, Tehran.
• Miller, L.(2012). Music and Song in Persia (RLE Iran B), The Art of Avaz, Routledge.
• Moïsi, D. (2010). The geopolitics of emotion: How cultures of fear, humiliation, and hope are reshaping the world. Anchor.
• Mozafari, P. (2011). Negotiating a position: Women musicians and dancers in post-revolution Iran. PhD diss., University of Leeds, UK.
• Nooshin, L. (2005). Underground, overground: Rock music and youth discourses in Iran. Iranian Studies, 38(3), 463-494.
• Nooshin, L. 2020. Parenting and music studies forum. In Ethnomusicology Forum Vol. 29, No. 3: 269-275. Routledge.
• Rastovac, H. (2009). Contending with Censorship: The Underground Music Scene in Urban Iran. The McNair Scholars Journal, 273, 59-82.
• Scott, J.C. (1990). Domination and the arts of resistance: Hidden transcripts. Yale University Press, US.
• Shiloah, A. (1995). Music in the world of Islam: A socio-cultural study. Wayne State University Press, US.
• Siamdoust, N. (2017). Soundtrack of the revolution, Stanford University Press, US.
• Tapper, Richard. (2002). The new Iranian cinema: Politics, representation and identity. Harvard Common Press, US.
• Tavakoli-Targhi, M. (2001). Refashioning Iran. Palgrave.