Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Online Journal of Music Sciences, cilt.11, sa.1, ss.215-228, 2026 (Scopus)
The Dobruja region has been one of the geographical and cultural living areas of Turkish-Tatar tribes since the BC era. The migration routes of these tribes have laid the ground work for the transformation of the musical materials brought by the Turks and Tatars through various interactions. These diverse musical practices carried from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Crimea, and Anatolia merged with the peoples of the Balkan region, shaping both a common Dobruja and Balkan musical culture and identity. In this respect, Turks and Tatars in the region have lived as part of a common culture for centuries and share a collective memory. Although it is difficult to draw clear distinctions between the two communities due to their shared religious, cultural, and historical backgrounds, some differences are noteworthy in terms of language and cultural representation. Especially following the 1989 Revolution, during the process of rediscovering and constructing ethnic identities in Romania, the Tatars of Dobruja represent a cultural expression that emphasizes the Crimean struggle and the unity of Turkic peoples, while the Turks emphasize the identity of Balkan Turks, which is a synthesis of Ottoman, Anatolian, and Balkan cultures. Today, the local musical practices and cultural expressions of the Turks and Tatars are being transformed and influenced by both local and modern musical trends in Romania. The fieldwork and archival research conducted in the regions how that the Turkish and Tatar folk songs have largely been preserved into the present day, yet these songs have also been changed and taken out of their original context. This study aims to examine the cultural expression dynamics of the Turks and Tatars in Dobruja and to reveal the transformations in their musical cultures as part of an ongoing doctoral thesis. For this purpose, the methods applied include participant observation and interview techniques within the scope of fieldwork conducted in Constanța and Tulcea counties in the Northern Dobruja region of Romania. In addition, archival research was conducted at the Constantin Brăiloiu Institute of Ethnography and Folklore, where magnetic tape catalogs of Turks and Tatars in the Dobruja region were reviewed and original cataloging was carried out. The obtained data were evaluated using content analysis and descriptive analysis methods.