Dance and Socio-Cybernetics: The Dance event of "K'na" As A Shaping Component of The Cultural Identity Amongst the Arvanites of Neo Cheimonio Evros, Greece 1

• Published in: Journal of ethnic and cultural studies Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 30 - 49
• Main Authors: Filippidou, Eleni, Koutsouba, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Istanbul Yildiz Technical University 01.08.2020
• Subjects: Cultural identity; Cultural Pluralism; Cybernetics; Dance; Data Analysis; Ethnic groups; Ethnicity; Ethnography; Literature Reviews; Minority & ethnic groups; Music; National identity; Nationalism; Racial Identification; Refugees; Researchers; Self Actualization; Self control; Social Scientists; Greece; Thrace
• DOI: 10.29333/ejecs/342

The research field of this paper is the wedding dance event of "K'na", as this takes place by the Arvanites of Greek Thrace, an ethnic group moved to the area from Turkish Thrace in 1923. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the three components of dance, music and song of Greek traditional dance, as these reflected in the "K'na" dance event amongst the Arvanites ethnic group of Neo Cheimonio (Evros), are related to issues of ethno-cultural identity under the lens of socio-cybernetics. Data was gathered through ethnographic method as this is applied to the study of dance, while its interpretation was based on socio-cybernetics according to Burke's identity control theory. From the data analysis, it is showed that through the "K'na" dance event the Thracian Arvanites of Neo Cheimonio shape and reshape their ethnocultural identity as a reaction to the input they receive from their environment. Therefore, the "construction" of their identity, as a constant process of self-regulation and internal control, is subjected to the conditions of a cybernetic process.