Music and Cultural Memory: a Case Study with the Diaspora from Turkey in Berlin
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Music and Cultural Memory: A Case Study with the Diaspora from Turkey in Berlin Submitted by Pinar Güran to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology In May 2014 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. Abstract This thesis explores the relationship of music and cultural memory in a migrant community, namely the Turkish diaspora in Berlin, Germany, and the changing patterns of music consumption within generations. Music is a significant agent that helps communities bridge the past and present time and place and carries the material that is used to create cultural memories for communities. This research attempts to put forward how music, as a part of our daily lives, is a part of the social arrangements that structure the operations of memory. In the context of modern diaspora, this study looks at the role of music in producing and shaping cultural memory in Berlin with the community with ties to Turkey, and how it is practiced by three different generations in the Turkish diaspora who experience music as a socially constructive element. The study also considers the extent that Turkish cultural heritage and identity is transmitted via music to the third generation, who were born and raised in Germany, examining the narrative of ‘Turkishness’ being woven into the music production of the third generation Turks. This research has been conducted using qualitative research methods with several field trips to Berlin. In-depth interviews mostly with second and third- generation German-Turks show that the Turkish diaspora has been utilising music for remembering, preventing memories from being forgotten and transmitting them to the next generations since the beginning of the guest-worker agreements in 1961. In addition to this connection with music, the timeliness of this study coincides with an era of major generational conflicts. While the second generation’s attempt to introduce their children to Turkish culture through encouraging or pushing them to learn Turkish music at private schools continues, young people have created their own diverse musicking traditions and spaces that connect them both to Turkey and Germany. New developments in technology have also provided young generations alternative paths to find music from Turkey. Building cultural memories via shared music listening experience is 1 decreasing today within immigrant families in Berlin, while young people explore their personal links to Turkish music and create their own memories as a consequence of easier access to Turkish media. 2 Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction 7 1.1 Preface 7 1.2 How memory, music, and Turkish emigrants meet 8 1.3 Turks in Germany 10 1.4 Outline of the thesis 14 Chapter 2. Literature Review 16 2.1 Introduction 16 2.2 Critical terms and concepts 17 2.2.1 A brief overview of memory studies 17 2.2.2 Memory in its sociological forms: collective memory, cultural memory, constructed memory 19 2.2.2.1 Collective memory 19 2.2.2.2 Cultural memory 22 2.2.2.3 Constructed memory 27 2.2.3 Diaspora 30 2.2.3.1 Turkish Diaspora in Germany and Europe 34 2.3 Cultural approaches to music and migration 35 2.4 To conclude 44 Chapter 3. Historical and Musical Background 46 3.1 Introduction 46 3.2 Historical Background 48 3.2.1 Settlement patterns and life in Germany 52 3.2.2 Integration 55 3.2.3 Migration in the 1980s, 1990s, and the citizenship laws 58 3.2.4 Numbers in the 2000s 61 3.3 Musical history 62 3.3.1 Hip-hop culture enters the scene 69 3.3.2 The 1990s and popular music 71 3.4 Summary 73 Chapter 4. Methodology 74 3 4.1 Introduction 74 4.2 But who are my participants? 75 4.3 Preparations for the field and practicalities 77 4.3.1 Before Berlin 77 4.3.2 Practicalities 80 4.3.2.1 Language 81 4.3.2.2 Duration of stay 82 4.4 Field visits 83 4.5 Finding contacts 85 4.6 Approach 88 4.6.1 My position as a researcher and using music elicitation 91 4.7 Methods 95 4.7.1 Direct observation 95 4.7.2 Interviews 99 4.8 Sites of enquiry 104 4.9 Organisation of data 106 4.10 Summary 108 Chapter 5. Sounds of Turkey in Berlin: Findings from Fieldwork 110 5.1 Introduction 110 5.1.1 The big picture 112 5.2 Places of music 114 5.2.1 Music schools 114 5.2.2 Türkü bars 120 5.2.3 At home: Media tools as a musical space and grounds of change 123 5.2.4 Alternative places of musicking: Weddings, SO36, Luzia, concerts 127 5.3 The music of choice for young German-Turks and hip-hop as an immigrant cultural expression 132 5.3.1 Turkish culture as ethnic emblem in a globalized age 134 5.4 The mixing and moving village 137 4 5.5 Media and remembering 143 5.6 Accounts of music and life in Berlin 146 5.6.1 Music, integration, and fear 147 5.6.2 Musical social codes and their transformation 150 5.7 To conclude 157 Chapter 6. Further Themes and Reflections on the Data: Diverse Musical Identities and Heterogeneous Memory 160 6.1 Introduction 160 6.2 The 2000s as a generational breaking point 161 6.2.1 The first rebels 162 6.2.2 Hip-hop and the 90s 164 6.2.3 The transformation of social musical codes 169 6.2.4 Language 173 6.3 Continuing patterns of immigrant life in Berlin 176 6.3.1 Fear of the new and different 176 6.3.2 German-Turks and Turkey 182 6.4 Where does music stand? 184 6.4.1 Music and media 184 6.4.2 Old musics, new musics, mixed memories 190 6.4.3 Music as a converter of place and space 197 6.4.4 Cultural memory formation in the new era 199 6.5 Summary 202 Chapter 7. Conclusion 204 7.1 A review of my work, some general thoughts and projections 204 7.2 Deconstructing constructed worlds and memories 210 7.3 What is visible and what is not 212 7.4 To conclude 213 Appendix 215 References 217 • Pictures used in this thesis are © Pinar Güran except where otherwise noted. All translations from Turkish interviews or Turkish source material by Pinar Güran. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis would not exist without the contributions of various people and I must express my gratitude to them. First of all I would like to thank all my informants in Berlin. They didn’t know me but still shared their precious time and stories. I am also grateful to everybody who put a great effort to help me find contacts in Berlin and vouched for me. I can’t give thanks enough to Tia DeNora, my supervisor and beyond. Without her, this journey would have never even begun. I feel most fortunate to have had her support both academically and personally. She was one of the best parts of this PhD. Not only does Tia practice her extraordinary art of supervising, she brought together an excellent group of people: being a member of SocArts was one of the most exceptional experiences of my PhD journey. In addition to all the stimulating discussions and moral support, I believe that we made life-time friends. Thank you Mariko, Arild, Simon, Pedro, Sigrun, Ian, Trever, Liz, Marie, Kari, Sophia, Rita, and Craig for the proofreading as well. I owe thanks to Matthias Varul, Gisa Weskalnys, and Dana Wilson- Kovacks for sharing their wisdom with me. They were always ready to present new perspectives, motivation and support. My friends from KAL, MSÜ, and ITÜ; being away from you was one of the most difficult things during this process but you’ve always showed your personal and academic support whenever I needed. My family deserves the deepest gratitude for supporting and encouraging me all the way. I would like to thank my grandmother Müfide Bakan who would be so proud of me today, my parents, my brother, my uncles, my aunts and my cousins. Last but not least, I owe Aybar a heartfelt thank you. I hope that he enjoyed our discussions on this work as much as I did. He read my chapters many times and shared his fresh insight. And most importantly, he stood with me when the road got steep; he held my hand and made me believe I could succeed. 6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION “Memory establishes life’s continuity; it gives meaning to the present, as each moment is constituted by the past. As the means by which we remember who we are, memory provides the very core of identity.” (Sturken 1997, p.1) Preface In this section I will introduce and explain the focus of my thesis, my aims, the research question and I will indicate what is significant and distinctive about this research. My work began as an attempt to explore how cultural memory was transmitted between generations of immigrants from Turkey in Germany via musical practices. My first encounter with this subject was in the mid-nineties when the hip-hop group Cartel had a huge and sudden impact on the Turkish music charts.