To Örebro University

Since the mid-1990s, Turkey has had its own independent music scene that has taken form especially in certain clubs and venues of Istanbul, and seemingly, a subculture has evolved around this scene. Although the bands of the scene have not generally been able to (or in many cases, have not intended to) reach international acclaim, among the Turkish society, they have found loyal fan bases. The aim of my doctoral research is to understand emergence and establishment processes and working dynamics of this scene from the points of view of both bands and fans.

Since 2002, an autocratic-like regime has grown in Turkey within the hegemony of AKP government, and the summer of 2013 saw huge anti-government protests around the country, especially in bigger cities like Istanbul. Concordantly, as my current research suggests, most of the indie musicians who flourished in this period took part in those protests one way or another, and since then, many of these musicians have not hesitated to share their opinions on Turkish politics in concerts, festivals or via their social media accounts.

This paper discusses about the protesting attitudes of these musicians whose music has almost nothing to do with politics. In concordance with the discussion, the paper looks at the historical development of indie music’s standing for and against politics in other countries, and proposes to look at the relationship between producing alternative art and having a protesting attitude, through a musical frame. In general, the paper tries to find answers to these questions;

-   How musicians whose music has nothing to do with politics gain political character?-   Is there any relationship between producing alternative music and having alternative political attitudes?-   To what degree, musicians’ musical identity is fed from their political attitudes in the case that their music has still nothing to do with politics?-   To what degree, musicians’ political attitudes are providing for their accumulation of subcultural capital?-   And more specifically, does being an independent musician necessitate having an alternative approach to politics?