A STUDY ON THE NATIONAL STRUGGLE FOLKSONGS / MILLI MÜCADELE DÖNEMI TÜRKÜLERI ÜZERINE ÖRNEK BIR ÇALIŞMA

This study is concerned with the folksongs written during the period of National Struggle. There is scarce of information about the folksongs from the period of National Struggle. This study is undertaken to fill this gap by studying six selected folksongs about which systematic data and information available. For this purpose, certain categories were developed in order to study and compare the folksongs that were included in this study. The categories that were designed for this study are also applicable to similar studies of the other folksongs. In this respect, firstly the text and, if any, various texts of the folksong are given followed by their story widely known among the locals of the respected area that the folksong belonged. Then, the place, time and metaphors cited in the text of the folksongs are studied in detail. The purpose of the study is to understand the effect and reaction of the society to the National Struggle that were made after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire for the establishment of the new state, i.e. Turkish Republic. The findings of the study is that, in general, heroes of the National Struggle were subjects of the folk songs through which collective reaction of the local people to the National Struggle was expressed. The folksongs show how well the local people were organised and struggled against the unlawful invaders showing solidarity during the critical times of life and death. Sufferings and sorrows of the local peoples were expressed through the individual heroes who easily occupied a permanent place in the collective memory of the locals