Religious and sûfîstic elements in minstrel poetry of The Republican Period (1923-1999)

In this study, religious and mystical elements in minstrel poetry of the Republican Era were discussed. The main purpose of the study is to systematically identify religious and mystical elements in minstrel poetry of the Republican Period. In addition, other aims of our study include examining the religious and mystical meaning of minstrel poems of the Republican Period and determining their functions within their historical context. In the study, religious and mystical elements in the poems of twenty-four minstrels were examined by using document analysis and techniques from qualitative research methods. The study consists of "Introduction" and two main sections named "Religious Elements in Minstrel Poetry of the Republican Period" and "Sufi Elements in Minstrel Poetry of the Republican Period". In the "Introduction" section, the place of minstrel literature in Turkish literature, its sources, its origins, the role of religion and Sufism in the formation and development of minstrel literature, the cultural changes experienced in the Republican Period, and the minstrel poetry of the Republican Period are discussed. In the first part, the religious elements we identified, and in the second part, the mystical elements we identified were explained using the religious-sufistic literature, and the poems were interpreted by showing them by quotation or attribution method. In each chapter, the proportions of the use of elements in poems are determined and their functions are emphasized. Religious and Sufi elements in the minstrel poetry of the Republican Period were evaluated as a whole and the relationship between the poems and religion and Sufism was revealed. It has been determined that religious-mystical elements were kept alive in the minstrelsy tradition of the Republican Period along with the cultural changes seen in society. It has been observed that the minstrels sang poems that reflected the spirit of their period by combining their religious-mystical thoughts with the modernization process, displayed a sensitive attitude towards social changes by establishing a balance between traditional culture and modernization, and practiced their art with their own unique poems. In addition, it has been determined that the use of religious and mystical elements can turn into a poetry tradition rather than a belief for minstrels. It has been concluded that minstrels continue the religious-mystical source of the minstrelsy tradition by using the belief elements in the cultural memory.