Echoes of resistance: music, memory, and protest in Turkey

Abstract

Music has been an inseparable part of our lives, accompanying our daily routines, activities, and emotional states from the early periods of history to the present day. The impact of music on individual emotions has also led it to become an integral component of the collective activities of societies and states. With its ability to appeal to communities, translate emotions, and mobilize masses, music has also become an important tool of political communication. This study examines the role of music in protest culture and its function as a means of constructing collective memory through the recollected experiences of participants in two significant social movements in Turkey: the student movements of the 1970s and the 2013 Gezi Park protests. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 individuals who experienced their youth in the 1970s and participated in the Gezi Park protests of 2013. The participants were asked about their musical preferences and political views, as well as the connections between the songs used in the protests they attended and their personal experiences. The study observed the role of music as a mnemonic device for the participants. It was found that the differing political contexts and protest cultures of these two periods influenced the types of music used in the movements. However, despite these historical differences, the songs used in both periods were found to have similar emotional effects on individuals, transforming personal memories into a collective narrative and serving as reminders that help preserve and transmit the memory of past social movements to new generations. By analyzing the relationship between protest culture, music, and collective memory in the Turkish context, this study argues that music is not only an expressive form but also an essential component that sustains and reconstructs resistance within social movements.