German-Turkish Rap in the Context of Transculturality
Abstract
The article examines how rap music gained global popularity while exploring German-Turkish rap's emergence in the 1990s. It critiques the application of 'hybridity' as a theoretical framework, arguing this concept reinforces essentialist ideas of culture and constrains artists to fixed identities. The author proposes Putz's 'strategic transculturalism' as a more suitable analytical approach to understand contemporary German-Turkish rap and emerging cultural formations beyond traditional identity categories.
Overview
This article examines the emergence and cultural significance of German-Turkish rap music in the 1990s, moving beyond the limiting framework of “hybridity” to propose a transcultural analytical approach.
Key Arguments
- The concept of hybridity, while popular in cultural studies, reinforces essentialist notions of culture by presupposing distinct cultural origins that “mix.”
- German-Turkish rap artists navigate complex identity positions that cannot be reduced to a blend of two discrete cultures.
- Putz’s “strategic transculturalism” offers a more productive framework for understanding how these artists create new cultural formations that transcend traditional identity categories.
Significance
This article contributes to ongoing debates in transcultural studies and popular music scholarship, offering a nuanced reading of how diasporic artists challenge fixed cultural boundaries through creative expression.
Citation
@article{karabag2019german,
title={German-Turkish Rap in the Context of Transculturality},
author={Karabag, Ayse Irem},
journal={Diyalektolog},
pages={177--193},
year={2019},
doi={10.29228/diyalektolog.38873}
}