Sesin politikası ve göçmen kadınların vokal icraları: Rezonans küresi
The politics of voice and vocal performances of immigrant women: Resonance sphere
Yazar: SELDA ÖZTÜRK
Danışman: PROF. DR. F. BELMA OĞUL
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Ana Bilim Dalı / Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Bilim Dalı
Derece: Doktora, 2022
Konu: Müzik = Music ; Sosyoloji = Sociology
Dizin: Göçmenler = Emigrants ; Kadın Sesi = Kadın Sesi ; Müzik = Music ; Müzikoloji = Musicology ; Rezonans = Resonance ; Ses analizi = Voice analysis ; Ses çalışmaları = Sound studies ; Uluslararası göç = International migration ; Vokaller = Vocals ; Zorunlu göç = Forced emigration

Özet:
"Sesin Politikası ve Göçmen Kadınların Vokal İcraları: Rezonans Küresi" isimli bu tez çalışması, 2011 yılından itibaren Türkiye'ye göç eden Suriye ve Iraklı kadınların icralarını savaş, göç, müzik ve toplumsal cinsiyet bağlamında araştırmaktadır.
Derinlemesine mülakatlar, odak grup görüşmeleri, söyleşiler ve sözlü tarih teknikleriyle yürütülen araştırmada, intradisipliner bir bakış benimsenerek duygulanım başta olmak üzere hafıza, travma, kimlik üzerine teori ve kavramlar ile müzik ve savaş, şiddet, göç, toplumsal cinsiyet, kimlik, direniş konulu çalışmalardan faydalanılmaktadır. 2015 ile 2019 yılları arasında yapılan bu araştırmanın özgün yönleri; yurt içi ve yurt dışına göçlerin devam ettiği bir dönemde yürütülmesi, dünyada en çok göçmenin yaşadığı ülke olan Türkiye'de yapılması, kadınların deneyimlerini merkeze alarak göçü araştırması ve ağıtlar için vokal analiz yöntemi önermesidir. Ayrıca, uygulamalı etnomüzikoloji disiplininin prensipleri benimsenerek araştırma süreci boyunca elde edilen veriler ve sonuçlar kamusal alanda paylaşılmış, göçmen kadınlarla birlikte müzik atölyeleri ve söyleşiler gerçekleştirilmiş, hazırlanan konser/dinletiler dinleyicilere sunulmuş ve bazı video klipler çekilmiştir.
Savaşın tanığı, kadın ve göçmen olmaları onları ortak bir paydada buluştursa da göçmen kadınlar kültür, inanç, etnik, cinsiyet, siyasi düşünce, ekonomik ve sosyal statü gibi birçok açıdan farklı kimliklere, bununla bağlantılı olarak da farklı deneyimlere sahipler. Kadınlardan bazıları etnik ve inanç kimliklerinden dolayı hem memleketlerinde hem de göç ettikleri yeni yerleşim yerlerinde ayrımcılığa, psikolojik ve cinsel şiddete uğradıklarını anlatmaktadır. Göçmen kadınların hayatını, savaşın travmasının yanı sıra eğitim, sağlık, sosyal, ekonomik ve güvenlik gibi birçok alanda yaşanan sorunlar ve geleceğin belirsizliğinin yarattığı psikolojik zorluklar olumsuz yönde etkilemektedir. Bu olumsuzlukların yanı sıra, toplumda görünürlüklerinin artmasına ve güçlenmelerine yardımcı olacak kendilerini ifade ettikleri kültürel alanları da inşa etmektedirler. 
Müzik cephesinden bakıldığında göçmen kadınların hayatlarında müzik; günlük dinleme pratiklerinin yanı sıra düğün, vaftiz törenleri, yas ritüelleri, müzikli sohbet geceleri ve konserler gibi birçok şekilde yer edinmektedir. İcra pratikleri anlamında ise korolar önemli bir yerde durmaktadır. Kadınlar, çoğunu kendilerinin kurduğu bu korolarda, birlikte şarkı söyleyerek dayanışma ve kolektif duygularını güçlendirmektedir. Söyledikleri şarkılar, katıldıkları etkinlikler ve çeşitli mecralarda verdikleri söyleşilerle barış, entegrasyon ve göçmen kimliği üzerine toplumsal mesajlarını iletmektedirler. Kurdukları bu bağ sayesinde koro onlar için, memlekete ve yuvaya duyulan hasretin yarattığı manevi boşluğu doldurmakta ve Vatan'ın imgesel anlamda sembolü haline gelmektedir.
Kadınlar, yaşadıkları kolektif travma, acı ve umutlarını, belli bir düşünceye dönüştürerek, kendi yöntemleriyle çıkardıkları ses ve sessizlik kodlarıyla ifade etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, kendi ürettikleri sözler, melodiler ve ağıtlar ön plana çıkmaktadır. Ağıtlarında savaşın yarattığı kayıplar, ölümler, Ezidi kadınların uğradığı cinsel şiddet vakaları, aşk, göç ve göçmenliği anlatan kadınlar, resmi tarihin söylemediği, görmediği ve kabul etmediğini dile getirerek hakikati kendi tanıklıkları üzerinden ve müzik aracılığıyla kurmaktadır. Onların ağıtları, hayata tutunma ve bir karşı koyuşu ifade etmenin yanı sıra, toplumsal söylem üreten, dinleyenleri şahitliğin parçası haline getirerek toplumsal sorumluluk yükleyen, bu sebeple de dönüştürücü potansiyeli olan eserlerdir. Aynı zamanda, kadın ağzı repertuvarın önemli bir parçası olarak kültürel mirasa ve toplumsal hafızaya dair belgelerdir.
Bu araştırmada derlenen ağıtlardan seçilen iki farklı icra, birbirini tamamlayan ancak iki farkı işlevi bulunan keder ve üzüntü duygusunun birer temsili olarak incelenmektedir. Ağıtlar analiz edilirken duygulanımsal ve titreşimsel bir etkileşim alanı olarak ele alınmakta, sesin ölçülebilirliği ile sembolik özellikleri bir arada düşünülerek ağıtlara dair vokal analiz yöntemi geliştirilmektedir. Analizin parametreleri mekan, zaman, metin, beden ve jestler, nefes ve ağlama sesleri, stil ve vokal koreografi olarak belirlenmiştir. Önerilen vokal analiz yönteminin geleneksel yöntemlere alternatif olarak, ağıtların çok katmanlı yapısını ve performansa dair ayrıntıları açığa çıkardığı düşünülmektedir. Vokal analiz yöntemiyle beraber, performansın fikrini daha iyi anlayabilmek ve anlatabilmek adına görselleştirmenin yolları keşfedilmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda bir ağıt icrası üzerinden "rezonans küresi" ismi verilen görsel bir tasarım geliştirilmiştir. Vokal analiz yönteminin ve RK tasarımının, değişen parametreler tanımlanarak ve tasarıma eklenerek her ağıt eserine olduğu gibi ağıt dışındaki eserlere ve insan dışı performanslara uygulanmasının mümkün olduğu düşünülmektedir. Vokal analiz yöntemi ve RK tasarımı üzerine düşünürken, çok katmanlı ve çok yönlü bağlantılar felsefesini ortaya koyan posthuman eleştirel teoriden, fen bilimleri ile sosyal bilimlerin iç içeliğini benimseyen intradisipliner diyalog fikrinden ilham alınmıştır. Bu epistemolojik yaklaşımdan hareketle, müziği anlama ve analiz etme yöntemlerine dair yeni fikirlerin geliştirilmesine ve teorize edilmesine ihtiyaç olduğu düşünülmektedir.

Abstract:
The thesis titled "The Politics of Voice and Vocal Performances of Immigrant Women: Resonance Sphere" explores the performances of Syrian and Iraqi women who have immigrated to Turkey since 2011 against the backdrop of war, migration, music, and gender.
During the research in-depth interviews, focal group interviews, conversations, oral history techniques were conducted, I adopted an intradisciplinary perspective, and made use of theories and concepts on affect, memory, trauma, identity and studies on music and war, violence, migration, gender, identity, and resistance. The uniqueness of this research, which I conducted between 2015 and 2019 in İstanbul, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep and Adana, is that it was carried out in a period when domestic and international migration in Turkey continued, it was conducted in Turkey where the most immigrants live in the world, it investigates migration by focusing on women's experiences, and it proposes a vocal analysis method for laments. In addition, following the principles of applied ethnomusicology, the data and the results of the research were shared in the public sphere, music workshops and interviews with immigrant women were held, the concerts/performances prepared during these workshops were presented to the audience and several video clips were shot.
Although witnessing the war, being women and immigrants bring them together on common ground, immigrant women have different identities in many respects such as culture, belief, ethnicity, gender, political thought, economic and social status, and therefore they have different experiences. Some of them tell that they have been subjected to discrimination, psychological and sexual violence both in their hometowns and in the new settlements they have migrated to because of their ethnic and religious identities. In addition to the trauma of war, the lives of immigrant women are negatively affected by the problems regarding many areas such as education, health, social, economy and security, as well as the psychological difficulties which originate from the uncertainty of the future.
Many lonely women have taken refuge in Turkey with their children, and they are trying to overcome these difficulties with their children or alone. War and migration cause certain transformations in gender roles, especially the family structure in poor families is shattered. In this process, the activities carried out by the immigrants themselves and by a small number of non-governmental organizations working on immigration, to alleviate the difficulties of being a migrant, make a positive contribution. Immigrants build areas that will help them increase their visibility and become stronger in the society with their productions in many areas of culture and arts such as newspapers and magazines, radio broadcasts, music schools, choirs, concerts, and film festivals.
As for music, besides their daily listening practices, it takes place in their lives in many ways such as in weddings, baptism ceremonies, mourning rituals, musical chats, and concerts. The performances of immigrant women are categorized into two groups: individual performances and collective performances in choirs. There are four choirs: The Syriac Catholic Church Choir (Istanbul), the Istanbul Oriental Mosaic Choir (Istanbul), the Syrian Women's Choir (Istanbul) and the Haneen Choir (Gaziantep). The choirs play an important role in the visibility of immigrant women's musical practices in the public sphere. Collective performance practices in the choirs help them preserve and re-establish the family's identity, the identity of the group and community, fill the spiritual void created by being away from home, and form the basis of the emotional bonds that bring them together. Owing to these strong bonds formed by singing together, choirs become the symbol of longing for homeland and home. In this context, they prefer to include in their repertoires the traditional songs that carry the memory of home and songs that describe the longing for the homeland as part of their coping strategies.
Except for the Syrian Women's Choir, the choirs were founded by immigrant women, who believe that the healing power of music will be good for women. Women, who perform on stage for the first time thanks to the choir concerts, feel the sense of solidarity which singing together brings and they derive strength from this unity, and all these helps them to perform their songs with more confidence. They gain a sense of trust through this collective experience as well, and it leads to a change in the roles and ideas about gender relations, and women continue to sing despite the objections of family members and sometimes despite the objections coming from the women themselves. With the songs they sing in the choirs, the events they attend, and the interviews they give to newspapers and television channels, and other media organs, they convey their messages on social integration and immigrant identity in their own language and culture, emphasizing that they are peace-loving and productive people. Based on the idea that choirs serve as a bridge between the cultures of Turkey and Syria, they include songs in Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Syriac and Arabic in their repertoire and the songs sung with the same melody in different languages, which are the common cultural heritage of the peoples.
I accessed the individual performances performed indoors by the immigrant women through one-to-one interviews. The repertoire in individual performances consists of compositions and improvised music on different themes such as laments, lullabies, and the longing for peace and homeland. Women express their collective and individual trauma with the codes of sounds and silence, and they create an art form by transforming the feeling of grief and pain caused by their losses into a certain thought. In this context, in their laments, they tell the listeners about the losses and deaths in the war in Syria and Iraq, sexual violence incidents experienced by Yazidi women such as rape, murder, kidnapping, forced marriage, migration and immigration, and love. In their laments, they tell about the losses caused by the war, deaths, sexual violence that Yazidi women suffered from, love, migration and being an immigrant, and express what official history does not tell, see or accept, and establish the truth through their testimonies, through music. Their laments, besides being a tool for them to cling to life and for expressing resistance, are works that produce social discourse, impose social responsibility to the listeners by making them a part of witnessing, and therefore they have transformative potential. In addition, these laments are documents about cultural heritage and social memory since they are an important part of the repertoire of women dialect.
Pain, grief, anger, sadness, longing, frustration, hopelessness, helplessness, alienation, loneliness, and nostalgia are the most frequently expressed emotions in these narratives. In these laments, which are regarded as representations of morality and the politics of emotions, cultural codes such as "burning heart", "burning liver", "to have a wound/to be wounded", "being a victim" are frequently used as metaphors for grief and pain. In these concepts, labour and body are intertwined; they show the emotional burden transferred to women in society, and they are institutionalized expressions that point to social identity. These expressions also reflect the relationship between women and voices in the region.
As a result of the analysis, some features that characterize the laments have been identified: a) laments are an improvised type of music pacing between the borders of talking, singing and crying, b) there is frequent use of words that describe shocking and emotionally charged moments without a coherent expression, c) the person singing the lament asks for help by complaining to the mother and religious figures, d) they include religious motifs and curses, e) they include expressions that are used in daily speech and that evoke emotions like sadness and grief in their social context, and f) the names of the deceased and the place of their loss are mentioned as one the ways to keep the memory and feelings alive.
With the reflection of affect theories, voice has been accepted as an affective and vibrational force in the field of music and has been perceived as a somatic experience rather than a cognitive one. In the approach to voice, a new paradigm has been developed, which states that the measurability and symbolic properties of voice are not disconnected and should be taken into consideration together. I analyzed the laments compiled within the scope of this research in the light of the propositions of the new paradigm, and based on this viewpoint, I offer a method for vocal analysis for the laments. According to this intradisciplinary method, all structures in the lament that define and form the whole are identified and examined in the light of emotions and relationalism. Therefore, space, time, text, body and gestures, breathing and crying sounds, style and vocal choreography are the parameters, which reveal the lament and enable the affect, of this analysis method.
In this study, two performances selected among the corpus of laments, which complement each other but have different functions, are examined as representations of the feelings of grief and sadness. When we look at the views about the relationship between emotion, voice, and femininity, we see some generalizations, such as the idea that the feeling of sadness is inherent in the feminine, and low voices and low tempo are used to convey the feeling of sadness and grief. However, it is not possible to say that the relationship between emotion, voice and femininity is established in the same way in every culture. Hence, the analysis of the corpus of this dissertation reveals different results. In these laments, head voice and upper registers are used when expressing the feeling of sadness. On the other hand, when expressing grief, from low pitch to high pitch, from silent moans to shouting, different timbers and resonators are used. While expressing the sense of sadness, which is a personal and closed emotion, high-pitched sounds and head voice technique are used together with the style-specific glissando technique. Whereas while expressing the sense of grief, which is a social and open emotion, crying sounds associated with grief are used together with style-specific vibration techniques, thus revealing a strong vocalization.
The sounds of breathing and crying (sobs, sighs, sniffles, cracked voices, groans), as well as body and gestures, are an important part of vocalization and function as emotional intensifiers in a performance. Observing the body and gestures provides information about the melody and emotion. Body and gestures have functions such as embodying the image, communicating, producing sound, shaping the melody, accompanying the sound, expressing the emotions, assisting the vocal techniques, and directing the next movement.
The sounds of breathing and crying manifest themselves due to the emotional intensity during the performance. As the intensity of the emotions increases, breathing becomes more frequent, and crying sounds are more intense and louder. Laments have a free rhythm, but a specific inner rhythm perception leads the singing. At this point, the breath has an essential function. Used based on emotions, the breath designates the tempo of the words, the melody, the body, and everything that participates in the performance and is in motion. Thus, the guidance of the breath forms a specific internal rhythm perception, and it carries out the performance accordingly.
I claim that the proposed vocal analysis method can reveal the multi-layered structure of the laments as an alternative to traditional analysis methods. This dissertation attempts to explore the ways to visualize vocal analysis to understand and explain the essence of a performance better. With this aim, using the performance of a lament, I developed a visual design called "resonance sphere". It seems possible to apply the proposed vocal analysis method and RK design to performances other than laments and performances of non-humans by defining the changing parameters and adding them to the design. The proposed vocal analysis method and the RK design are inspired by the posthuman critical theory, which reveals the philosophy of multi-layered and multi-faceted relations, and the idea of intradisciplinary dialogue that embraces the intertwining of natural and social sciences. Based on this epistemological approach, there seems to be a need to develop and theorize new ideas about the methods of understanding and analyzing music.