Environmental Dimensions in the Works of Kurdish Artists: A Cultural Environment Model
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47-63Keywords:
Abstract
The present study, entitled “The Environment in the Works of Kurdish Artists – The Cultural Environment as a Model”, investigates the presence and manifestations of the environment in contemporary Kurdish artistic practices within a philosophical and aesthetic framework informed by the concept of cultural ecology. It explores the relationship between the Kurdish artist and their environment as a hermeneutic interaction that extends beyond natural or geographical space to encompass symbols, language, rituals, and collective memory as active agents in shaping aesthetic and symbolic consciousness.
The study is organized into four chapters. Chapter One presents the research problem, significance, and rationale, centering on the following question: How does the cultural environment, as a symbolic and interpretive structure, contribute to shaping the aesthetic and intellectual dimensions of Kurdish artistic production? The importance of the study lies in framing the cultural environment as an interpretive container of identity and a central force in the formation of Kurdish artistic expression. This chapter also outlines the research objectives, alongside the linguistic, conceptual, and procedural definitions of key terms.
Chapter Two establishes the theoretical framework, divided into two sections: the first addresses the concept of the environment, while the second examines the cultural environment in the works of Kurdish artists. The chapter concludes with a set of analytical indicators derived from the literature review.
Chapter Three discusses the research methodology and procedures, adopting a descriptive, inductive, and analytical approach, and focuses on three contemporary artworks by Kurdish artists selected as the study sample.
Chapter Four presents the findings, most notably that contemporary Kurdish art contributes to the reconstruction of collective identity as a dynamic and interpretive structure rather than a fixed essence. Each artwork functions as a symbolic repositioning of the self within a space imbued with political, social, and environmental tension.
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