Cultural Disjuncture and Music Among the Second Generation of Afghan Immigrants in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Master of Ethnomusicology, Department of Music, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Music, Faculty of Art and Architecture, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

One of the most important challenges of Afghan immigrants in Iran is to provide a definition of "self". This issue continues with more severity for the second generation of Afghan immigrants living in Iran. The effect of music on the identity of immigrants in Iran and its role in integrating them with the host society is a topic that has not been given enough attention. Data collection in this research has been done through library sources and fieldwork. Field studies has been realized through finding the gathering place of artists and musicians and conducting interviews with them.
Second generation Afghan immigrants living in Iran have a mixed identity and at the same time consider themselves to belong to several geographies and cultures. Afghan immigrants in Iran are in a complicated situation, because the Iranian part of this identity is in crisis and the Afghan part, has no objectivity and has not been recognized by the host society. Music is present both in the discourses and systems that impose identity on people, and as a tool to resist them. The Afghan immigrants of the first generation try to impose their traditional identity on the next generation through Afghan folk music, while those of the second generation use main stream music such as: rock and rap music as a means of resistance. This issue can be examined from different aspects; on one hand, because of the generation cultural gap that exists and that young people want to show their identity differently, the difference is that they want to bring their cultural identity to the foreground regardless of their national and ethnic identity. On the other hand, the tendency of the second Afghan generations toward these genres can simultaneously be interpreted as an effort to connect with their peers in Iran and to join the global genres.
The new generation of immigrants want to determine their own destiny and not surrender to pre-destined societal roles. Therefore, they need to find another musical space with which they can express their identity. For this reason, because folk music, with its special characteristics, has not been able to meet the needs and desires of the new generation of Afghan immigrants, their efforts to choose a new music genre can be interpreted as an attempt to change their status in society. In the cultural programs of the diaspora community of Afghans living in Iran, held in official spaces, only folk music accompanied by traditional instruments is present. This issue can indicate the presence of the first generation of immigrants in the cultural sectors of the Afghan diaspora society, which is trying and insisting on keeping traditional music alive and preserving what it considers to be authentic identity. While we are witnessing a more informal flow of the musical life of the Afghan diaspora community in Iran, where popular music genres are often used. In this article, the rap group Qalam, the rock group Arikin were investigated.
 
 

 
 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

سعیدی، سعیده. (۱۴۰۱). زندگی در پاورقی: تجربه زیسته‌ی اتباع افغانستانی در نهاد آموزش ایران. تهران: موسسه مطالعات فرهنگی و اجتماعی. عصر ایران. (1397، 27 مرداد). گروه راک افغان اریکین در ایران؛ لذت شنیدن موسیقی در کارگاه نجاری. https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/627349/
فراهانی، هوشنگ. (۱۳۹۵). موسیقی اقوام مهاجر رومانو در روستای قشلاق شهریار و روستای زرگر قزوین [پایان‌نامه کارشناسی ارشد، رشته اتنوموزیکولوژی، دانشگاه هنر]. تهران.
فرازمند، پرنگ. (۱۳۹۸). موسیقی مهاجران کُرد ایرانی مقیم سوئد: روند فرهنگ‌پذیری کُردهای ایرانی مقیم سوئد و تأثیر موسیقی آن‌ها بر موسیقی کُردهای ساکن ایران [پایان‌نامه کارشناسی ارشد، رشته اتنوموزیکولوژی، دانشگاه هنر]. تهران...
کشانی، محمدجواد و بشیر، حسن. (۱۳۹۸). ارتباطات میان‌فرهنگی افغان‌های مقیم ایران با ایرانیان بر پایه نظریه هم‌فرهنگی. مطالعات میان‌فرهنگی، ۱۴(۴۱)، ۹-۳۰. https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.17358663.1398.14.41.1.5
لطف‌آبادی، محسن. (۱۳۹۲). بازخوانی نظری مفهوم هویت. خردنامه، ۱۰، ۵۳-۶۶. https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/922179/
مددی، عبدالوهاب. (۱۳۹۰). سرگذشت موسیقی معاصر افغانستان (۱۲۴۲ تا ۱۳۷۰ ه.ش). تهران: نشر عرفان.
مریام، آلن. (۱۳۹۶). انسان‌شناسی موسیقی (مریم قرسو، مترجم). تهران: نشر ماهور. (چاپ اثر اصلی ۱۹۶۴)
مایرز، هلن. (۱۳۸۲). کار میدانی (فردیس فیض‌بخش، مترجم). فصلنامه ماهور، ۲۰، ۱۰۳-۱۳۲. (چاپ اثر اصلی ۱۹۹۲) https://www.magiran.com/volume/5815
نوری، حسن. (کارگردان و تهیه کننده). 1398. تارهای ممنوعه [فیلم مستند]. 71 دقیقه.
Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota PressBaily, J. (2006). War, exile, and the music of Afghanistan. London, UK: Routledge.
Asr-e Iran. (2018, August 18). Afghan rock band Erican in Iran; the pleasure of listening to music in a carpentry workshop [Gorooh-e rak-e afghan Erican dar Iran; lezzat-e shenidan-e musiqqi dar kargah-e najjari]. https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/627349/
Cook, N. (1998). Music: A very short introduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Farahani, H. (2016). The music of Romani migrant communities in Qeshlaq Shahriyar and Zargar Villages, Qazvin [Musiqi-ye Aqvam-e Mohajer-e Romani dar Roostaye Qeshlaq-e Shahriyar va Roostaye Zargar Qazvin] [Master’s thesis, Department of Ethnomusicology, University of Art Tehran]. Tehran. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/9987ac7934556ecd235189c4ca197154 (In Persian)
Farazmand, P. (2019). The music of Iranian Kurdish migrants in Sweden: The process of acculturation and the influence of their music on the Kurds living in Iran [Musiqi-ye Mohajeran-e Kord-e Irani Moghime Sued: Ravand-e Farhangpaziri va Ta’sir-e Musiqi-ye Anan bar Musiqi Kordhaye Saken Iran] [Master’s thesis, Department of Ethnomusicology, University of Art Tehran]. Tehran. https://ganj.irandoc.ac.ir/#/articles/bcb92be786be9e01752d8172bab83441(In Persian)
Folkestad, G. (2002). National identity and music. In D. J. Hargreaves, D. Miell, & R. A. R. MacDonald (Eds.), Handbook of musical identities (pp. 151–162). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Keshani, M. J., & Bashir, H. (2019). Intercultural communication of Afghans residing in Iran with Iranians based on co-cultural theory [Ertabat-e Mian-Farhangi-ye Afghanhaye Moghim-e Iran ba Iranian bar Mabna-ye Nazariye-ye Ham-Farhangi]. Intercultural Studies, 14(41), 9–30. https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/922179 (In Persian)
Lotfabadi, M. (2013). A theoretical reading of the concept of identity [Bazkhani-ye Nazari-ye Mafhom-e Hoviyat]. Kheradnameh, 10, 53–66. https://www.noormags.ir/view/fa/articlepage/922179/ (In Persian)
Guoqing, Ma. (2012). Globalization: Production of culture and cultural identity — Ethnic group, local society and transnational cultural circle. In D. Zhenglai (Ed.), Globalization and localization: The Chinese perspective (pp. 205–224). Singapore: World Scientific. (In Persian)
Madadi, A. (2011). The story of contemporary music of Afghanistan (1863–1991) [Sargozasht-e Musiqi Mo‘aser-e Afghanistan (1242 ta 1370 H.S.)]. Tehran, Iran: Erfan Publishing. (In Persian)
Merriam, A. (2017). Anthropology of Music [Ensanshenasi-ye Musiqi] (M. Ghasrou, Trans.). Tehran, Iran: Mahour Publishing. (Orginal work published 1964) (In Persian)
Myers, H. (2003). Fieldwork [Kar-e Meydani] (F. Feyz-Bakhsh, Trans.). Mahour Quarterly Journal, 20, 103–132. https://www.magiran.com/volume/5815 (Orginal work published 1992) (In Persian)
Nouri, H. (Director & Producer). (2019). Tarhā-ye mamnūʿeh [Forbidden Strings] [Documentary film]. 71 min.
Rice, T. (2017). Reflection on music and identity in ethnomusicology. In T. Rice (Ed.), Modeling ethnomusicology (pp. 139–160). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Saeedi, S. (2022). Life in the margins: The lived experience of Afghan nationals in Iran’s educational institution [Zendegi dar Pavaraghi: Tajrobeh-e Ziste-ye Atba’ Afghanistan dar Nahad-e Amoozesh-e Iran]. Tehran, Iran: Institute for Cultural and Social Studies. (In Persian)
Stokes, M. (1994). Ethnicity, identity and music: The musical construction of place. Oxford, UK: Berg.
Tomlinson, J. (2012). Globalization and cultural identity. In G. Ritzer (Ed.), Encyclopedia of globalization (Vol. 1, pp. 269–277). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Toynbee, J., & Dueck, B. (2011). Migrating music. London, UK: Routledge.
Journal of Fine Arts: Performing Arts & Music
Volume 30, Issue 3
August 2025
Pages 59-70

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics