The Music and Multiple Identities of Kurdish Alevis from Turkey in Germany
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2014 The Music and Multiple Identities of Kurdish Alevis from Turkey in Germany Ozan Aksoy Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE MUSIC AND MULTIPLE IDENTITIES OF KURDISH ALEVIS FROM TURKEY IN GERMANY by OZAN EMRAH AKSOY A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 OZAN EMRAH AKSOY All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Music in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Jonathan H. Shannon ____________________________________ _________ ____________________________________ Date Chair of the Examining Committee Norman Carey ____________________________________ _________ ___________________________________ Date Acting Executive Officer Stephen Blum ____________________________________ Jane Sugarman ____________________________________ Martin Stokes ____________________________________ Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract THE MUSIC AND MULTIPLE IDENTITIES OF KURDISH ALEVIS FROM TURKEY IN GERMANY by Ozan Emrah Aksoy Adviser: Professor Stephen Blum This dissertation investigates the experiences of Kurdish Alevis, currently living in Germany, who trace their background to locations within the boundaries of the Republic of Turkey. I argue that music has been a particularly important mode through which Kurdish Alevis in Germany have articulated collective histories and have fashioned narratives of belonging and multiple and sometimes contradictory identities. The subjects of my research are immigrants and refugees who are ethnically Kurdish and whose religion is Alevi, an Anatolian religion whose relations to both Sunni and Shi'a Islam are historically controversial. They speak Turkish along with Kurdish, in most cases are Turkish and German citizens living in and around Cologne, Germany, and have family members in Istanbul, Turkey. Kurdish Alevis struggled against being labeled with certain identities, such as Turkish and Muslim within the larger immigrant pool from Turkey. At the same time, many of them have striven for their collective identities, namely Kurdish and Alevi, primarily in the last two decades. Music has been an integral part of their efforts. I argue that, in the last two decades, a new transnational field has emerged for Kurdish Alevi immigrants and refugees in Germany and by extension in Turkey, opening spaces for realignment around various and fluctuating loyalties with respect to ethnic, political, and social modes of belonging. This work is an investigation of the music of this ethno-religious double minority group in their second and third homelands. iv Acknowledgements I would like to dedicate this work to the Kurdish Alevi communities in Turkey and Germany. I am grateful to have been invited into their lives. This work would not have been possible without their generosity and trust. Many colleagues at the CUNY Graduate Center have helped this work tremendously. The list includes Anny Bakalian, Beth Baron, Ryan Bazinet, Sultan Catto, Jennifer Griffith, Banu Karaca, Peter Manuel, Ceren Özgül, Melis Süloş Akyelli, Sara Pursley, Robert Smith, Angelina Tallaj-Garcia, Mary Taylor, and Seçil Yılmaz. Several friends and colleagues from around world also contributed significantly to this work in various ways including Soner Akalın, Mehmet Akbaş, Selda H. Aksoy, Pelin Asal, Ömer Avcı, Sarah Bakker, Ali Baran, Bahar Başer, Mehmet Bayrak, Şevhar Beşiroğlu, Bülent Birer, Gabrielle Clark, Dieter Christensen, Meryem Çiftçi, Delil Dilanar, Ayhan Erol, Denise Elif Gill, Yılmaz Güleryüz, Neriman Güneş, Evrim Hikmet, İpek İpekçioğlu, Metin Kalaç, Hatice Karadağ, Evrim Özalp, Ulaş Özdemir, Hasan Saltık, Shêxo, Thomas Solomon, Umut Türem, and Candan Yıldız. Professor Jonathan Shannon, as the chair of the defense committee, and Professor Martin Stokes, as the outside reader, were exceptionally generous with their time. I am grateful for the support of Professor Jane Sugarman whose guidance as the first reader was especially helpful. I would like to thank my adviser and mentor Professor Stephen Blum who taught me everything I know about ethnomusicology and who has tirelessly corrected my many mistakes over the years. Finally, I would like to thank my family, and especially my wife Umut Sarpel for the continuous support and encouragement they provided me during this journey. v Table of Contents List of Figures x List of Appendices xii Glossary xiii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xviii Chapter 1. The Music and Multiple Identities of Kurdish Alevis from Turkey in Germany 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Situation of the Research Subject: Kurdish Alevis 8 1.3. Migration History of Kurdish Alevis in Turkey and Germany 16 1.4. Situation of the Agents in the Field 22 1.5. Situation of the Study within Anthropology and Ethnomusicology 28 1.5.1. A Note on Identity 29 1.6. Situation of the Researcher and Methodology 31 1.7. Studying the Music of Kurdish Alevis 36 1.8. Outline of the Dissertation and Summary of Findings 38 Chapter 2. Kurdish Alevis in Multiple Homelands and Transnational Space 2.1. Introduction 43 2.2. The Diaspora Concept 46 2.3. Ethnomusicology's Response to Diaspora Studies 51 2.4. A Musical Tale of Kurdish Alevis in the 20th Century 56 2.5. The New Transnational Field and Kurdish Alevis in Transnational Space 62 2.6. Second Homelanders 68 vi 2.7. The Results of the Survey: Conclusions 74 Ch. 3: Kurdish Identity, the ‘Kurdish Question,’ and Kurdish Alevi Musicians 3.1. Introduction 81 3.2. Kurdish Question and Kurdish Musicians in Turkey: A Historical Overview 85 3.2.1. An Event: Ahmet Kaya’s Departure 91 3.3. Musical Expression and Reconciliation in Turkey 93 3.4. Kurdish Music and Musicians in Germany 102 3.4.1. An Oral History with Ali Baran in Düsseldorf, Summer 2010 103 3.5. Conclusion: Return to the Reconciliation Process 117 Chapter 4: “Alevi music” and Identity among Kurdish Alevis in Turkey, Germany, and Transnational Space 4.1. Introduction 122 4.2. Alevi Identity, “Alevi Music,” and the Bağlama 124 4.2.1. The Instrument and Tuning Systems 129 4.2.2. Turkish Folk Music and Alevi Music 135 4.2.3. An Example from the 1990s: “Türküler Yanmaz” (“Türkü cannot be burned”) 138 4.2.4. An Example from the 2000s: Strategic Essentialism of Kızılbaş (Red-head) 140 4.3. Organizations, Alevi Identity, and Alevi Music 145 4.3.1. Wuppertal Alevi Kültür Merkezi (Wuppertal Alevi Cultural Center) 151 4.3.2. Pazarcık Cultural Center in Cologne 155 4.3.3. Köln ve Çevresi Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli Cem Evi 156 4.4. Music and Alevi Identity in Transnational Space and Social Media 157 vii 4.4.1. A Kurdish Alevi Facebook Group: Platforma Kurdên Alawî 161 4.5. Summary and Conclusion 164 Chapter 5: Türkü Bars in Germany 5.1. Introduction 166 5.2. Türkü Bars as Businesses 167 5.3. Aesthetic of Şark Odası (Orient Room) 170 5.4. Audience and Repertoire at Türkü Bars 172 5.4.1. Istekler 174 5.5. Alevi Music, Türkü, and Alebesk 179 5.6. Politics at Türkü Bars 194 5.6.1. Melancholy and Intimacy in Second Homeland Türkü Bars: The Şark Odası Effect 196 5.7. Case Study: LeyLim Türkü Bar and the Performers of MyHosch 198 5.7.1. “Değişmedik ama dönüşüyoruz” (“We have not changed; we evolved”) 201 5.8. Sonic Diversity and Estrangement from the Saz Tınısı (Timbre) 208 5.9. Conclusion 213 Chapter 6: Music and the Integration of Kurdish Alevis in Germany 6.1. Introduction 215 6.2. Kurdish Alevis in Germany as Western Muslims 218 6.3. A Musical History of Immigration from Turkey to Germany 223 6.3.1. Kurdish Alevi Youth and DJ-Müzik 234 6.4. Integration Debates and Western Muslims in Germany 240 6.4.1. Integration of Immigrants from Turkey in Germany 244 viii 6.4.2. Problems among Immigrants from Turkey in Germany 246 6.4.3. Becoming German by Becoming Alevi 252 6.5. Conclusion 254 Chapter 7: Epilogue 257 7.1. Barış Süreci and Kurdish Alevis 259 7.2. Gezi Protests and Alevi Identity 264 7.3. Discrimination in the New Homeland 266 7.4. Cami-Cemevi Project 267 7.5. Conclusion 269 Appendix 272 Bibliography 292 Discography 307 ix List of Figures Figure 1.1. Ethno-religious breakdown of some groups in Turkey 10 Figure 1.2. First Homeland of Kurdish Alevis 17 Figure 1.3. From the First Homeland to the Second 18 Figure 1.3. From the First Homeland to the Second 19 Figure 1.5. A Typology of Agents in Kurdish Alevi Life 24 Figure 1.5. Ulaş Özdemir playing the dede sazı 41 Figure 2. 1. Typology of Homelands for Kurdish Alevis 69 Figure 2.2. A Picture representing the şark odası from Saz Time Türküevi in Cologne 73 Figure 3.1. Sezen Aksu in 2009 Munzur Festival in Dersim (Tunceli) 100 Figure 3. 2. Hüseynî makamı composed of Hüseynî pentachord and Uşşak tetrachord. 110 Figure 4.1: Men and women during a semah 127 Figure 4.2. Long (uzun sap) and short (kısa sap) bağlama 130 Figure 4.3. Bağlama düzeni and kara düzen tunings 131 Figure 4.4. Corresponding pitchesfor major frets for each string on th bağlama düzeni 132 Figure 4.5. Saz Cepte Application for the iPhone, released in February 2013 134 Figure 4.6. Habertürk, 27 September 2009. 138 Figure 4.7. Kızılbaş and Kızılbaş II by Kalan Müzik (Istanbul), two album-covers.