Refugee Melodies: The Role of Kurdish Music in Shaping a New Collective Identity within the Nashville Kurdish Diaspora

PhD student in ethnomusicology, Ashkan Nazari, traveled to Nashville, TN in the summer of 2024 to conduct research on the role of Kurdish music in shaping a new collective identity within the Nashville Kurdish diaspora. His project was supported by the Sarshar Research grant for the study of the Iranian diaspora. 

"Kurdish music in Nashville serves as a vital cultural, social, and political tool for the Kurdish diaspora, facilitating the preservation of heritage, the articulation of political aspirations, and the construction of a collective identity rooted in historical experiences and adapted to the American context. The ethnographic evidence gathered during this study demonstrates that Kurdish music is not merely a relic of the past but an active, dynamic force that shapes the identity of the Kurdish community in Nashville today. Through music, the Kurdish diaspora negotiates its place within American society, resists cultural assimilation, and maintains connections to the broader Kurdish nation."