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

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Çakmak S.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF KURDISH STUDIES, cilt.12, sa.2, ss.248-288, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 12 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF KURDISH STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Political Science Database (ProQuest), Index Islamicus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.248-288
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study examines the function of music in the oral culture of Kurdish communities living in

 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dengbêj narratives, historical documents, and the literature on ethnomusicology and Kurdish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.