Shaped by the processes of migration, diasporization and
cosmopolitanization, musical performance conditions and contexts
constantly change, while new musical forms emerge and evolve. The
development of Turkish folk music is well-documented and provides rich
material for study in the motherland and in the diaspora. This book
explores, describes, interprets and links musical, contextual and
functional aspects of Turkish folk music in contemporary Turkey and the
Turkish diaspora in the Belgian city of Ghent.
The Turkish presence in Ghent is particularly interesting in its size
(approximately ten per cent of the population) and constitution (mostly
originating in the West Anatolian town of Emirdağ). Anchored in detailed
ethnographic reality, this book expands our views on what Turkish folk
music signifies in the early twenty-first century, and adds to the
understanding and appreciation of this multifaceted, topical musical
phenomenon.
This book's multi-sited, transnational and comparative outlook is
unique, with an added dimension generated by the inclusion of rural and
small-town contexts that complement the urban perspective. It makes new
contributions to scholarship in this area by including the transcription
and analysis of performance styles, the evaluation of Turkish Radio and
Television discourses and practices, and the exploration of understudied
research contexts of Ghent and Emirdağ.
