Embodied Homeland: Folk Dance, (Post)Memory, and Identity of the Turkish Diaspora in Germany
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RIS BIB ENDNOTEData publikacji: 29.06.2026
The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 2025, 21 (1/2025), s. 69-89
https://doi.org/10.4467/24506249PJ.25.016.23416Autorzy
Embodied Homeland: Folk Dance, (Post)Memory, and Identity of the Turkish Diaspora in Germany
Since the 1960s, Germany has received millions of Gastarbeiter (guest ‑ workers), with Turkish migrants being the largest and most culturally distinct group. The persistence and transformation of Turkish practices reflect processes of collective memory and identity negotiation, especially among second-, third-, and fourth ‑generation Turks. After the Berlin Wall fell, the Turkish minority faced more xenophobic violence, heightening identity crises among youth. In the 1990s, Turkish ‘gangsta’ rap expressed and negotiated identity in response to racism. Since the early 2000s, Turkish folk dance has resurged among the youth, becoming a central means of cultural remembrance and endurance. However, a significant gap remains in understanding how traditional practices like Zeibek dancing transcend their origins to become national identity symbols across generations in a foreign land. This study addresses this gap by analysing intersections of homeland, memory, and identity in folk dance. It examines how Zeibek dance functions as a mechanism of banal nationalism and as a site for diasporic identity construction. The spiritual and affective aspects of Zeibek dance, along with its role as cultural resistance during identity crises, are explored through the experiences of dancers at Egetanz Ulm and Ravensburg. Thus, this study positions folk dance as both a repository of memory and an active site for renegotiating and performing Turkishness within the German diaspora.
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Informacje: The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 2025, 21 (1/2025), s. 69-89
Typ artykułu: Oryginalny artykuł naukowy
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Publikacja: 29.06.2026
Status artykułu: Otwarte
Licencja: CC BY 4.0
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