The Culture of Azerbaijan 3600-TU-KA-OW

A monographic lecture combined with a multimedia presentation. The course introduces students to the distinctive character of Azerbaijani culture, which has developed at the crossroads of diverse traditions and civilisations. During the classes, selected literary texts, works of art, music, beliefs, rituals, as well as processes of modernisation and the social transformations of the twentieth century are discussed.

1. Historical introduction. Terminology, ethnic map, and the Azerbaijani language.

2. Religious identity and pre-Islamic folk beliefs.

3. Folk, religious, and state holidays.

4. Rituals, customs, and everyday culture.

5. Wedding traditions. The family in the socio-cultural life of Azerbaijan.

6. Childbirth traditions. The child within the family and society.

7. Perceptions of women in Azerbaijani culture and their social role.

8. Traditional mugham music and the ashik (aşıq) tradition.

9. The emergence of opera and theatre. The westernisation of music and hybrid musical forms in twentieth-century Azerbaijan.

10. The rise of the press. The satirical journal ‘Molla Nasraddin’ and social modernisation.

11. Epics and oral tradition. ‘Kitabi Dədə Qorqud’ as a foundation of Turkic culture.

12. An overview of Azerbaijani literature.

13. The art of miniature painting and the development of Azerbaijani painting in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

14. Folk costumes and the art of jewellery-making.

15. Historical monuments and modern architecture.