TURKISH FOLK MUSIC IN GHENT: MUSICAL MANIFESTATIONS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS IN A DIASPORA CONTEXT

Liselotte Sels

Research questions
What is the status and position of Turkish folk music in the beginning of the 21st century, in Turkey as well as in the diaspora context of Ghent? How does Turkish folk music manifests itself musically? Which uses, functions, values and meanings does it adopt in its cultural contexts? How do the musical and contextual aspects interact?

Turkish people in Ghent (facts and figures)

Migration history:

First phase:
Bilateral agreement Belgium-Turkey (1964) Migrant workers (gastarbeiders) employed in textile industry

Second phase:
Immigration stop in 1974 (< economic crisis) Family reunification, family formation

Present situation:

Estimates:

ca 10% of the population of Ghent is of Turkish origin

Figures (2011):
4550 people with Turkish (or Belgian-Turkish) nationality 11042 people with former Turkish nationality (naturalization) ?? people born with Belgian nationality but of Turkish origin

Turkish people in Ghent (distribution)

Turkish people in Ghent (regions of origin)

Research plan
Study of written sources

Ethnographic study (fieldwork): structured observations & qualitative surveys

Music-theoretical study

Creating a theoretical framework regarding - folk music in the - 20th century musical developments 20th

Classification and description of the manifestations of Turkish folk music in Ghent (repertoire + performance styles / content + form)

uses and functions of art/music cultural production in diaspora

Classification and description of the uses and functions of Turkish folk music in Ghent (emic & etic perspective)

relation

Research in Turkey

Attended events in Turkey

No 1 Date 6 June 2011 Province - City/village Izmir - Izmir (city) Short description Trk evening

2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

9 June 2011 9 June 2011

10 June 2011 15 June 2011 16 June 2011 17 June 2011 18 June 2011 19 June 2011 21 June 2011 22 June 2011 22 June 2011 23 June 2011 24 June 2011 25 June 2011 25 June 2011 26 June 2011 26 June 2011 26 June 2011 30 June 2011 30 June 2011 3 July 2011 3 July 2011 6 July 2011

Mula - Milas (town) Mula - Milas (town)

Mula - Milas (town) Afyon - Emirda (town) Afyon - Emirda (town) Afyon - Emirda - Balca (village) Afyon - Emirda - Trkmenakren (village) Afyon - Emirda - summer pastures Krehir - Krehir (city) Krehir - Krehir (city) Krehir - Kaman (town) Krehir - Krehir (city) Krehir - Boztepe (town) Krehir - Boztepe + Mucur (town) Krehir - Mucur (town) Krehir - Boztepe + Mucur (town) Krehir ebiler (village) Krehir - Tatarilyas (village) Sivas - Sivas (city) Sivas - Sivas (city) Sivas - Karabel (village) Sivas - etinkaya (village) Trabzon - Trabzon (city)

Spending time with a friend Wedding party

Circumcision party Spending time with friends Celebration end of school year Celebration end of school year / graduation Wedding party Visiting old friends Musical evening soccer supporters club Folk dance lesson Official opening of cultural association + festival Trk evening Wedding party (first day) Wedding party (second day): nian treni, kayn, kna gecesi Wedding party (second day): celebration of father of the bride Wedding party (third day): gelin alma Wedding party Sharing emotions with family and acquaintances Training of ak skills with peers Summer festival Official opening of cemevi + cem Summer festival Spending time with friends and colleagues

Impressions from Emirda

Attended events in Ghent

No 1 2 3 Date 23 Oct. 2011 2 Dec. 2011 3 Dec. 2011 City Ghent Ghent Rupelmonde Short description Cultural festival Turkish evening Circumcision party

4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

15 Jan. 2012
28 Jan. 2012 29 Jan. 2012 10 Feb. 2012 16 Mar. 2012 16 Mar. 2012 08 Apr. 2012 18 Apr. 2012 30 Apr. 2012

Ghent
Ghent Ghent Ghent Ghent Ghent Nazareth Temse Ghent

Trk evening
Open day of Intercultural Center Trk evening Turkish evening Karaoke evening of student club Turkish evening Wedding party Suvermez night Trk evening

13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20

08 May 2012
18 May 2012 18 May 2012 20 May 2012 25 May 2012 27 May 2012 1 Mar. 2013 27 Oct. 2013

Ghent
Ghent Ghent Ghent Ghent Wachtebeke Ghent Ghent

Caf concert
Trk evening Jam Student festival of world music school Cem Open-air festival (seyran) Official opening of music caf Celebration 50 years Turkish migration

Impressions from Ghent: Seyran (open air festival), Wachtebeke

Impressions from Ghent: Cem (alevi ceremony), Ghent

Impressions from Ghent: Wedding party, Nazareth

Impressions from Ghent: Concert of group Tn, Ghent

Output (selection)

Paper Saz and synthesizer in Turkey and in Belgium : A comparative study of the manifestations of Turkish folk music in its homeland and in the diaspora

Submitted for A1-journal Ethnomusicology

Paper Turkish folk music and the balama in Ghent

Presented at 1st Balama Symposium in Germany (2nd International Balama Symposium) (Berlin 2013)

Paper Mzik ruhun gdas | Muziek is voedsel voor de ziel : Etnografisch onderzoek naar het gebruik en de functies van Turkse volksmuziek in Gent

Published in A1-journal Volkskunde (May 2013)

Lecture De taal van de Turkse muziek during event organized by Center for Turkish Studies (Ugent) (December 2012) Paper Music nourishes the soul: meanings and functions of Turkish folk music in Ghent

Presented at European Forum on Music (Istanbul 2012) & IMS conference (Rome 2012)

Article series in periodical De Centrale (2011-2012) Paper The complexity of a simple concept: Themes and issues in understanding Turkish folk music

internal publication ARIP 2011 (School of Arts)

Paper Turkish folk music in Ghent: musical knowledge in a diaspora context

Presented at BFE conference (Oxford 2010) & EAS conference (Bolu 2010)

Planned output
Publication in Ethnomusicology (?)
Documentary video about the folk music of Emirda (September

2014)
Dissertation (June 2014)

Additional goals
Making available and promoting the patrimonium of Turkish folk music and related folk culture Stimulating new (socio-)artistic developments making use of that patrimonium
Archiving of field recordings in online databases
Providing musical material to composers and performers, setting

up artistic projects Integrating aspects of the Turkish musical patrimonium into the curriculum of the School of Arts.
Ethnic Music Theoretical Seminars Project Week

Questions
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