GUIDELİNES FOR ARTİCLE SUBMISSION

* Abstracts and full papers may be prepared in Turkish and English.

** You are required to submit your abstracts and papers in Word format to yoruksempozyumu@balikesir.edu.tr

Topic Titles

Traces of Migration to Anatolia: The Historical Journey of the Yörüks

Central Asian Origins and Turkic Migrations

• Nomadic steppe culture and the origins of the Yörüks

• Historical structure of the Oghuz tribes

• Yörük mobility during the Great Seljuk and Anatolian Seljuk periods

Waves of Migration to Anatolia and Settlement Strategies

• Turkic tribes entering Anatolia from the 11th century onwards

• Settlement policies in Byzantine frontier regions

• The spread of the Yörüks in Western Anatolia, especially along the Kazdağı–Madra–Taurus Mountains line

• Examples of settlement in frontier regions (Balıkesir, Bergama, Manisa and surrounding areas)

Yörük Organization in the Ottoman Period

• The place of the Yörüks in the Ottoman military and economic system (Yörük organization, ocaklık systems)

• Yörük communities in Ottoman cadastral registers (tahrir defterleri)

• Exile and settlement policies; the concepts of “settlement” (iskan) and “exiled Yörüks”

Migration – Sedentarization – Identity

• Transition from nomadism to semi-nomadism and settled life

• Migration routes; summer pasture–winter quarters (yaylak–kışlak) system

• The impact of geography on identity (mountainous areas, plateaus, etc.)

Yörük Settlements in and around Balıkesir

• Historical Yörük presence in Madra, Kazdağı, Sındırgı, İvrindi, and Dursunbey

• Traces of migration through local archives, oral narratives, gravestones, and place names

Identity, Belonging, Resistance: The Historical Process of Yörük Identity

What Is Yörük Identity?

• Identity defined through ethnicity, culture, and way of life

• Internal diversity of “Yörüklük” (Türkmen, Tahtacı, Sarıkeçili, etc.)

• Expression of identity through oral narratives, rituals, clothing, music, language, and behavior

Spaces of Belonging and Memory

• Plateaus, winter quarters, villages: spatial bonds of belonging

• Attachment to identity through cemeteries, shrines, “ocaks,” and sacred spaces

• Migration routes and mountains: the merging of physical geography and belonging

Relations with the State and Forms of Resistance

• Resistance to settlement policies during the Ottoman and Republican periods

• Social reactions to taxation, conscription, and exile

• Cultural resistance to modernization and forced settlement

• Attitudes toward externally imposed identities such as “peasant,” “mountaineer,” or “nomad”

Modernization, Assimilation, and Identity Erosion

• Changes brought by education, media, and urbanization

• Weakening of Yörük identity among younger generations

• “Forgetting origins” and efforts to reconstruct identity

Cultural Resistance and Reappropriation

• Efforts to preserve identity through local associations, festivals, and symposiums

• Reclaiming identity through folk music, folklore, cuisine, and language

• The rise of the discourse of “pride in being Yörük” and the strengthening of collective memory

Yörük-Turkmens from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic

• Organization of the Yörük institution: military and tax obligations

• Nomadic life within the yaylak–kışlak system

• Ottoman policies to control nomadic populations

• Yörük communities in cadastral and exile registers

• Tensions between Yörüks and ehl-i örf (local administrative authorities)

• Forms of resistance against enforced sedentarization

• State policies aimed at controlling fertile lands

Oral History and Folk Literature in Yörük Culture

Oral History and Intergenerational Transmission

• Narratives of the elderly, migration routes, and memory spaces

• Methods of transmitting individual and collective memory

• Compilation of oral history studies: methodology, ethics, examples

Genres and Themes in Yörük Folk Literature

• Quatrains (mani), laments, lullabies, folktales, epics

• Heroism and identity in Zeybek folk songs

• Narratives shaped around love, nature, exile, and migration

Storytellers and Performance Culture

• Minstrels, folk storytellers, tale narrators (styles, language, melody)

• The role of “Dede,” “Ana,” or “Ocaklı” figures in narratives

• Profiles of storytellers in the Balıkesir region (field examples)

Recording Oral Culture and Digital Archives

• Compilation studies and folkloric documentation

• Digital memory projects to prevent the loss of Yörük narratives

• Preservation through documentaries, audio recordings, and written texts

Identity and Memory Construction in Oral Narratives

• Reproduction of identity through storytelling

• Mechanisms of remembering and forgetting

• Transmission of “being Yörük” through narrative

Yörük Settlements in and around Balıkesir

From Kazdağı to Madra: Migration and Settlement Geography

• Historical yaylak–kışlak system of the Yörüks

• Settlements in Kazdağı, Madra, Sındırgı, Dursunbey, and İvrindi

• Traces of Yörüks in place names (e.g., Keçideresi, Karaaşık, Yörükler Neighborhood)

Contemporary Representations of Yörük Culture in Balıkesir

• Local festivals, associations, and folklore groups

• Traditions preserved through clothing, music, and cuisine

• Perceptions of Yörük identity among younger generations

Oral History and Local Memory Sources

• Collected memories, narratives, and laments from Balıkesir Yörüks

• Cultural roles of shrines, visiting sites, and ocak spaces

• Local efforts to archive oral culture

Reflections of Balıkesir Yörüks in Ottoman and Republican Archives

• Yörük communities in Ottoman cadastral registers

• Settlement policies during the Republican era and their effects

• Tracing historical continuity through archival documents

The Transformation of Yörüks from Nomadic Empires to Settled Life

Characteristics of the Nomadic Order

• Yaylak–kışlak system, pastoral economy, life intertwined with nature

• Family structure, decision-making, and solidarity in nomadic life

• Yörük oba and internal organizational structures

State Policies and Forced Settlement

• Settlement efforts linked to the timar system in the Ottoman period

• Forced settlement practices beginning in the 16th century

• Modernization and the ideal of the “settled peasant” in the Republican era

Social Consequences of Sedentarization

• New relationships with space (village, neighborhood, farmland, etc.)

• Transition from animal husbandry to agriculture; changing livelihoods

• Transformation of roles of women, children, and the elderly

• Changes in community status roles such as ocaklı, aksaçlı, and shepherd

Reconstruction of Identity and Belonging

• Preservation of nomadic values within settled life

• How new generations define Yörüklük

• Nostalgia for the nomadic past and the perception of “romantic Yörüklük”

Settlement Narratives in the Balıkesir Context

• Historical settlement examples in Madra, Kazdağı, Dursunbey, and Sındırgı

• Traces of sedentarization in oral history narratives

• How geographical, economic, and political factors shaped settlement

Identity and Memory in Yörük Music, Art, and Folklore

Yörük Music: The Memory of Sound

• Themes of migration, love, death, and nature in Yörük folk songs

• The place of genres such as Zeybek, Bozlak, and Uzun Hava

• Local melodic structures and folk musicians of the Balıkesir region

• Expression of belonging and resistance through music

Traditional Handicrafts and the World of Ornamentation

• Weavings: kilims, saddlebags, felt, cushions—meanings of motifs

• Cultural codes expressed through color, pattern, and figures

• Functional art in the Yörük tent: carpets, bags, tent pole decorations

• The role of women in artistic production: transmission, creativity, memory

Bodily Expression in Yörük Folklore: Dances and Rituals

• Zeybek dance: posture, rhythm, symbolic meaning

• Dances performed at weddings, circumcisions, and rain rituals

• Meaning of body, clothing, and movement in the Yörük life cycle

Folktales, Quatrains, and Laments: Patterns of Oral Folklore

• Poetic structures and rhythmic repetitions in folk narratives

• The role of laments in social memory

• Women narrators as carriers of folkloric heritage

Contemporary Reflections of Traditional Arts

• Activities of associations, festivals, and folk dance groups

• Reproduction of identity through art among younger generations

• Protection and support of local artists and masters in Balıkesir

Around the Hearth: Ocaks, Belief, and Social Memory in Yörük Culture

Historical and Sociological Background of the Ocak Concept

• The place of ocaks in the Alevi-Bektashi belief system

• Ocak lineage and kinship ties in Türkmen-Yörük communities

• The role of the ocak in carrying communal memory, law, and belief

Ocak–Dede–Talip Relationships

• Functions of the ocak leader (dede, pir): guidance, mediation, instruction

• Hierarchy among ocaks and unity of path (yol birliği)

• Dede visits, cem rituals, and social organization

Material and Spiritual Spaces of Ocak Culture

• Shrines, visiting sites, sacred mountains, and trees

• Physical elements of the hearth: hearth stone, ash, central place in the home

• The hearth structure in Yörük tents and settled houses

Oral Culture and Belief Rituals around the Ocak

• Oral traditions such as prayers, nefes, and gülbenk

• Oaths taken at the hearth; the concept of “falling from the ocak”

• Legends, hagiographies, and folk narratives related to the ocak

Ocaklı Communities in the Balıkesir Region

• Ocaklı Yörük families around Madra and Kazdağı

• Forms of attachment to ocaks: affiliated ocaks, independent communities

• Living practices with local dede or “ana” figures

Ocak Culture and Identity Preservation Today

• Younger generations’ understanding of attachment to the ocak

• Disruptions caused by modernization, migration, and secularization

• Revaluation of ocaks as cultural heritage

Wedding, Migration, Plateau: Rituals and Ceremonies in the Yörük Life Cycle

Migration and Plateau Culture

• Yaylak–kışlak system and seasonal migration routes

• Ritualized forms of migration: “migration tune,” farewell ceremonies

• The place of plateau spaces in social memory

• Plateau routes used in and around Balıkesir (Kazdağı, Madra, Dursunbey plateaus, etc.)

Wedding Rituals and Their Social Meaning

• Traditional structure of Yörük weddings: matchmaking, head-binding, henna night, bridal procession

• Social functions of dowry, drum–zurna, Zeybek dances, and wedding meals

• Construction and transmission of community identity through marriage rituals

• Special folk songs, quatrains, and sayings performed at weddings

Mobility and Identity

• The impact of migration on cultural identity: the consciousness of “being on the road”

• Transition rituals experienced during migration: birth, death, marriage

• Forms of belonging tied to movement rather than place

• Transformation of these cultures with modernization

Oral Culture and Performance

• Folk songs, epics, and laments sung during migration

• Folk dances and musical genres performed at weddings

• Plateau nights: storytelling, quatrain recitation, and interaction with nature

Family, Society, and Solidarity among the Yörüks

Family Structure and Intergenerational Relations

• Nuclear and extended family structures

• Traditional roles of women, men, elders, and children

• Intergenerational transmission of values and skills (e.g., handicrafts, animal husbandry, customary knowledge)

Social Organization: Oba, Tribe, Community

• Structure and functioning of oba culture

• Kinship, leadership, and decision-making processes within tribes

• Community norms, customs, and conflict resolution mechanisms

Forms of Solidarity

• Cooperation and imece (collective labor in animal care, migration preparation, weddings, funerals)

• Hospitality, sharing, and social support culture

• The role of kinship ties in social solidarity

Representation of Family and Social Values in Oral Culture

• Proverbs, idioms, and quatrains that exalt the family

• Narratives, folk tales, and laments encouraging solidarity

• Symbolic power of mother, father, grandfather, and grandmother figures in oral narratives

Modernization and Social Change

• Transformation of family structure through migration, urbanization, and education

• Weakening of traditional solidarity networks and emergence of new forms

• Reconstruction of Yörük identity through social structures