Articulation of Kurdish Identity Through Politicized Music of Kom S
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ARTICULATION OF KURDISH IDENTITY THROUGH POLITICIZED MUSIC OF KOM S A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY B. SİYNEM EZGİ SARITAŞ IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA AND CULTURAL STUDIES FEBRUARY 2010 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences ____________________ Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for degree of Master of Science. ____________________ Prof. Dr. Raşit Kaya Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. ___________________ Dr. Barış Çakmur Supervisor Examining Committee Members Dr. Barış Çakmur (METU, ADM) ___________________ Assoc. Prof. Necmi Erdoğan (METU, ADM) ___________________ Assoc. Prof. Mesut Yeğen (METU, SOC) ___________________ I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name: B. Siynem Ezgi SARITAŞ Signature : iii ABSTRACT ARTICULATION OF KURDISH IDENTITY THROUGH POLITICIZED MUSIC OF KOM S Sarıtaş, B. Siynem Ezgi M.Sc., Department of Media and Cultural Studies Supervisor :Dr. Barış Çakmur February 2010, 195 pages The thesis analyzes the role of politicized music of Kurdish music groups ( koms) that emerged in the 1990s in the construction of Kurdish identity. The relation between politics and music is analyzed in the framework of the relation between nationalism and music and political movements' relation to music. Through kom s' politicized music, the movement communicated its cause, told the struggle of the movement and aimed to mobilize the masses. In addition to this, music has functioned as a field where the collective identity of the movement as well as the Kurdish identity is constructed. As the Kurdish movement did not possess the institutional and ideological apparatuses of the national state in its national identity construction process, music started to play an important role. Through modernization of Kurdish folk music, the identity is constructed as a modern and authentic one. In addition, with the political lyrics of the songs, the national elements such as common language, common history and the imagined territory are constructed, popularized, and canonized. Despite their counter-hegemonic position, kom s have articulated elements of the hegemonic discourses as well. Keywords: Politicized music, identity construction, Kurdish movement iv ÖZ KOM LARIN SİYASAL MÜZİĞİ DOLAYIMIYLA KÜRT KİMLİĞİNİN EKLEMLENMESİ Sarıtaş, B. Siynem Ezgi Master, Medya ve Kültürel Çalışmalar Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi :Dr. Barış Çakmur Şubat 2010, 195 sayfa Bu tez, 1990'larda kurulan Kürt müzik gruplarının ( kom ların) yaptığı siyasal müziğin Kürt kimliğinin kurulumundaki rolünü inceliyor. Siyaset ve müzik arasındaki ilişki, milliyetçilik ile müzik arasındaki ilişki ve siyasal hareketlerin müzik ile ilişkilenmesi çerçevesinde incelenmekte. Kom ların siyasal müziği yoluyla hareket, amaçlarını ve mücadelesini anlatmış, kitleleri mobilize etmeyi hedeflemiştir. Buna ek olarak müzik, hareketin kolektif kimliğinin ve Kürt kimliğinin kurulması için bir alan haline gelmiştir. Kürt hareketi, ulusal kimliğin kurulumunda ulus devletin sahip olduğu kurumsal ve ideolojik araçlara sahip olmadığı için, müzik önemli bir rol oynamıştır. Kürt halk müziğinin modernleşmesiyle, otantik ve modern bir kimlik kurulmuştur. Ayrıca, şarkılardaki siyasal şarkı sözleri yoluyla ortak dil, ortak tarih ve hayali vatan kurulmuş, popülerleştirilmiş ve kutsanmıştır. Karşı hegemonik duruşlarına rağmen, kom lar hegemonik söylemlerin öğelerini eklemlemişlerdir de. Anahtar kelimeler: Siyasal müzik, kimlik kurulumu, Kürt hareketi v to my grandparents and the ones uprooted from where they wish to live and die vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who helped, supported, encouraged and inspired me in the writing of this thesis. First of all I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Barış Çakmur for his support, encouragement, guidance, and criticisms. I would also like to thank Assoc. Prof. Necmi Erdoğan and Assoc. Prof. Mesut Yeğen, who kindly agreed to participate in my jury and shared their valuable comments and criticisms. I am especially grateful to Memê Mala Hine without whom this thesis would not be possible. I have decided to write this thesis without understanding any Kurdish, without his translations I would never be able to finish my study. I am also thankful to him because he supported and encouraged my decision to work on this topic and shared his invaluable reflections and insights. I feel deeply grateful to all of my interviewees. They kindly reserved their time to help me with my study. They also helped me to develop a deeper understanding of the subject by sharing their opinions and comments. I would like to thank my dearest friends who have always been beside me and supported me during my stressful times. I am especially grateful to Deniz Dölek who has provided me with moral and practical support. I am also thankful to her and Özgür Balkılıç for reading my thesis and sharing their comments and criticisms with me. I am indebted to Altepkin Top because of his hospitality and understanding. Özlem Sarıyıldız, Sevim Özdemir, Nurcan Çarıkçı, Eda Acara, Pınar Yüksel, Kathryn Bourgeois have been there for me with their friendship, support and understanding. I am especially grateful to my dear Emre Özkapı who has been there vii for me when I need, and challenged me with his ideas and opinions. I am deeply indebted to my family. My parents Ülkü Sarıtaş and Ahmet Sarıtaş have always believed in me and provided me unconditional support in my endeavors in life. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Ülkü Sarıtaş who have always listened to me and shared my problems and distress. Lastly I would like to apologize from everyone whose support, help and sharing I forgot to mention. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM..…………………………………………………………………… iii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... iv ÖZ ................................................................................................................................ v DEDICATION............................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1. MUSIC AND POLITICS: NATIONAL IDENTITY AND OPPOSITION ...... 10 1.1. Invention of the Nation and “National Music” ............................................... 12 1.2. Music Reform and the Invention of Modern Turkish Music ........................... 15 1.2.1. Standardization of Folk Music and Nationalization ..................................... 18 1.3. Music and Political Movements ...................................................................... 26 1.3.1. Political Music Tradition in Turkey Before 1980 ......................................... 30 1.3.2. Political Music Tradition in Turkey After 1980 ........................................... 35 1.3.3. Politicization of Kurdish Music ................................................................... 38 2. POLITICIZED KURDISH MUSIC AS A PART OF KURDISH MOVEMENT ........................................................ 47 2.1. Kurdish Question and the Rise of Kurdish Nationalism ................................. 50 2.1.1. Kurdish Movement After 1980s and the Emergence of PKK ...................... 55 2.1.2. PKK's Discourse and Articulation of Kurdish Identity ................................ 59 2.2. Politicization of Kurdish Arts and Culture in 1990s ....................................... 64 2.2.1. The Role Ascribed to Music and Arts by the Kurdish Movement ............... 64 2.2.2. Cultural Institutionalization and MKM ........................................................ 68 2.3. The Politicized Kurdish Music Groups in 1990s; Kom s ................................. 76 2.3.1. Politicized Music's Function and Role of Musicians for the Kom Musicians ......................................................................... 81 2.3.2. Political Lyrics in the Songs of Koms .......................................................... 84 2.3.3. Shift in the politicized music by 2000s ........................................................ 89 2.4. Kurdish Music Market and Kom s’ Listeners ................................................... 93 2.4.1. Kom s' Relations with the Music Market....................................................... 93 2.4.2. Kom s and the Listeners ................................................................................. 98 ix 3. ARTICULATION OF KURDISH IDENTITY BY KOM S ............................. 105 3.1. Kurdishness and 'Kurdish ' Music for Kom Musicians. ................................. 109 3.2.'Authenticity' / 'Modernity' in Articulation of Kurdish Identity ..................... 113 3.2.1. Kurdish