• The Magic of the Stage: Social Acceptance of Drag Performance in Türkiye from a Queer Theory Perspective

Burak Eker, Tuğba Çağlak Eker

This paper analyzes the paradoxical position of drag artists in Türkiye's public life, focusing on their musical performances. The study aims to offer a current and critical perspective on the fields of music and minority studies by revealing that the drag scene functions as a kind of compromise space in the face of increasing authoritarianism and narrowing civil space in Türkiye.

The research is based on the premise that drag performance is not merely a form of entertainment, but also a space of compromise and a practice of activism for the visibility of Queer existence. In this context, the study will examine how drag artists, through their stage identities as “entertainer” challenge gender norms while also creating a “social compromise” through music.

Moving from the 20th-century Turkish landscape, which was molded by the tradition of gazino and television broadcasting, this work addresses the current epoch defined by digital media dynamics. Within this framework, the evolution of drag performance strategies and the resulting shifts in their social influence are analyzed. In addition, the reflection of a wide range of music used in these shows, from Turkish classical music to arabesque, pop music to kantó, in social memory will be examined. Using the framework of queer theory, the impact of the use of shared musical memory on social acceptance in order to make queer expression relatable will be evaluated.

*Burak Eker graduated from the Haliç University Master’s Program in 2015, completing his master’s thesis titled “The Contribution of the Scale System Method of Carl Flesch on Violin Technique and Examination of Developing Technique Methods Accordingly.” He earned his doctorate degree at Yıldız Technical University, Department of Music and Performing Arts, with the dissertation titled “Musical Iconography of Violin through Folkloric Performance Practices and Traditional Music Repertoires: Folkloric Identities Attributed to Violin in 20th Century Music.”

Eker is an academic who both performs and researches music, having published various articles and authored books containing educational and compositional material, including his most recent book Tangonun Piazzolla’sı - Piazzolla’nın Tangosu (2025). He currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Izmir Democracy University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Musicology, and performs concerts in Türkiye and abroad with his group Tree Trio. Eker is a member of BESOM (Union of Composers, Conductors, and Musicologists of Türkiye).

*Tuğba Çağlak Eker completed her Master’s degree in Music Education at Gazi University’s Graduate School of Educational Sciences, where she later earned her Ph.D. in 2019. Her master’s thesis (2015), investigated “The Usability of One-Hand Piano Works in Piano Lessons of Music Teacher Education Programme”. Her doctoral dissertation, presented “Form, Harmonic, Technical and Musical Analysis of Joaquín Rodrigo’s Piano Sonatas”.

Her research contributions include numerous papers and seminars on music and piano education. She has authored three books: ‘Fairy Tale Songs’, ‘Scale and Arpeggio Studies for Piano- Preparatory Exercises and Reinforcement Practices’, and ‘Piano Album for One Hand’. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Music Technology, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, at Çankırı Karatekin University.

 

• ‘Spray-dancing’ and the Dilemma of a Queer Celebrity against the Nigerian State

Oluwatosin John Ibitoye

This study explores the intricate dynamics of identity, resistance, and artistry through the lens of "Spray-dancing," a performative act deeply rooted in Nigerian celebratory culture, wherein individuals throw money at musicians/performers to show appreciation, and its intersection with the lived experiences of a Nigerian Queer celebrity, Idris Okuneye (Bobrisky) navigating the sociopolitical landscape of Nigeria. The study investigates the Queer Celebrity in Bobrisky and the existential crisis of “againstness” from the Nigerian State. How does the performative act of "Spray-dancing" intersect with the identity and resistance of a queer celebrity navigating the sociopolitical and cultural constraints imposed by the Nigerian state? The study examines the protagonist's dilemma of balancing the expression of selfhood against the constraints of a state that legislates morality and enforces heteronormativity. The study illuminates the soundscapes of tensions between public adoration and systemic discrimination. Through digital ethnography, media analysis, interview and, Jagose Annamarie’s Queer Theory, the study investigates how the flamboyance of spray-dancing, often celebrated as an emblem of affluence and festivity in sociomusical performances becomes a battleground for visibility, resistance, and survival. It interrogates how performative acts challenge entrenched societal norms while questioning the complicity of spectatorship in upholding or dismantling oppressive structures. The study situates "Spraydancing" as a metaphor and a medium for resistance, highlighting the resilience of queer individuals in reimagining spaces of marginalisation as arenas of defiance and creativity. The study advocates for a redefinition of cultural narratives, deeper recognition of the intersections between identity, performance, and the quest for liberation in the face of state-sanctioned adversity.

*Oluwatosin John Ibitoye is a PhD candidate (ABD) in Ethnomusicology at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He holds a B.A. and M.A. degrees in Performing Arts (Music) from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He currently lectures at the Department of Performing Arts and Film Studies, Kwara State University, Nigeria. His research focuses on ethnomusicology, digital humanities, music and gender studies, performance and theatrical musicology. He is a 2025 Fellow of the Central European University Foundation of Budapest (CEUBPF), 2025 ASUU-Nigeria Scholar, 2024 Fellow of the Ife Institute of Advanced Studies, 2024 Laureate of the LSA/Conventions of Creativity supported by Cadbury Endowment at DASA, University of Birmingham. He is also a beneficiary of Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) conference travel grant to University of Bern, Switzerland, TETFund conference travel grant to IOHA, Poland, British Academy conference grant for ASAUK, ASUU Doctoral Research Grant, and European Union’s Horizon 2020 research program.

 

• All the World’s a Stage, But for Whom? Minority Musicians and National Performance at Expo 2025 Osaka

Kate E. Walker

This paper draws on ethnographic fieldwork at Expo 2025 Osaka, a six-month international exhibition that welcomed 25.6 million visitors under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” Marketed as a celebration of creativity, diversity, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Expo offered national delegations a high-profile platform to present curated national brands. Music, dance, and the creative arts were commonplace throughout; however, the institutional structures governing participation — including funding arrangements and programming control — meant that musicians, and especially minority musicians, were able to engage with the Expo in markedly unequal ways.

Focusing primarily on performances by Sababou Kadi Keiko (Burkina Faso), and secondarily on a one-off performance by Gipsy Voices (Hungary), I examine how minority identities are selectively showcased within these constraints on a global stage. In Burkina Faso — where 27% of the population lives in extreme poverty and the country faces ongoing insurgency and humanitarian crisis — the griot ensemble had to raise funds themselves in order to participate, performing a repertoire that (unusually) directly addresses governance, displacement, and injustice. Meanwhile, Gipsy Voices, led by renowned Romani vocalist Mónika Lakatos, appeared quite literally under the banner of Hungary, even as discrimination against Roma persists in employment, healthcare, and education.

This is ethnographic work conducted in a setting where music is at times distressing and reveals “uncomfortable truths.” I explore what it means to witness or participate in musical presentations that aestheticise inequality and obscure structural violence (Miller, Pettan, Rasmussen, and Sarkissian 2016). Drawing on applied ethnomusicology’s commitment to advocacy, empowerment, social transformation, and listening, I interrogate the dissonance between SDG-aligned spectacle at a mega event and the lived realities of musicians performing national identity on global stages.

*Kate Elizabeth Walker is a pracademic working at the intersection of ethnomusicology, diplomacy, and peacebuilding. She specializes in the use of music and arts-based pedagogies to support conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding initiatives, primarily in fragile and conflict-affected states. Kate collaborates extensively with international organizations, including the OSCE and UN, delivering training programs on gender for diplomats, civil servants, and UN peacekeepers. She holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield focused on kumi-daiko in the UK (2021), while recent research has focused on Expo 2020 Dubai and Expo 2025 Osaka. She served as a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) International Fellow at Kyoto City University of the Arts while undertaking fieldwork for this research (2025).