Erzincan’da kuşaklararasi zakirlik deneyimi üzerinden sözlü anlatilar ve günümüz cem pratikleri
Oral Narratives and Contemporary Cem Practices Through Intergenerational Experience of Zakirlik in Erzincan

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the intergenerational transmission of zakirlik through the oral narratives and current cem practices of two different generations of zakirs performing services in the Alevi cem ritual in Erzincan, using an ethnomusicological approach. The research is based on fieldwork conducted throughout 2024 in Erzincan and its surroundings. Within this scope, interviews were conducted with two zakirs, one elderly and one young, and Dede Ahmet Uğurlu, an important Alevi religious leader in the region, was also interviewed. In addition, the weekly Thursday cems held at the Erzincan Central Cemevi were observed in detail. In the study, in addition to face-to-face gatherings, an online “unity cem” was also evaluated as contextual data. The findings show that the dimensions of space, participation, and publicness in the cem ritual shape the ritual experience, while zakirlik is not only a musical transmission but also a carrier of collective memory and a performance space that produces physical and emotional transformation. The intergenerational comparison revealed continuity in instrument preferences, but significant differences in repertoire acquisition and performance strategies. It has been observed that older zakirs develop their performance with an emphasis on memory and continuity through a written repertoire file, while younger zakirs adopt a more fluid and technically diverse approach based on memory. These findings show that written memory practices coexist with oral and auditory transmission in cem music, and that the service of zakirlik is being reestablished in contemporary conditions along both axes of preservation and renewal. The study aims to evaluate the cem ritual within the framework of Victor Turner's concepts of liminality and communitas, making visible the musical authority of zakirlik within the ritual, its forms of learning, and its relationship with collective memory.

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