ABSTRACT

Semah is an Alevi ritual practice performed throughout Anatolia (Turkey) and the Alevi diaspora consisting of collective, dance-like movements that often take on or mimic the movements of animals, especially cranes. In attempting to elucidate that interplay between human performer and sacred animal, I draw on theoretical writings (especially philosophy and affect theory) about how people might – or might not – be able to become – or become like – other animals or forms of life, and what kind of affective processes that becoming might entail. I focus here especially on the role of semah in Sivas, Turkey, during the 1993 Pir Sultan Cultural Festival, during which Alevi participants, including many semah performers and musicians, were killed in an arson attack. Histories of that event highlight how prior to the attack, semah performers at the festival exemplified the possibility of becoming (like) cranes. Furthermore, many Alevis have placed semah at the centre of subsequent memorial events, suggesting new forms of affect and becoming as a political (and often public) response to the trauma of the Sivas massacre.

摘要

Semah是在整个安纳托利亚（土耳其）和Alevi流散者中进行的一种Alevi仪式，包括集体舞蹈般的动作，通常模仿或模仿动物的动作，尤其是鹤类。为了阐明人类表演者与神圣动物之间的相互作用，我借鉴了有关人们如何或可能不能够成为或变得像其他动物或生命形式的理论著作（尤其是哲学和情感理论），以及可能需要什么样的情感过程。我在这里特别关注semah在土耳其锡瓦斯（Sivas）的作用，在1993年的皮尔苏丹文化节期间，期间Alevi的参与者包括许多semah表演者和音乐家在纵火袭击中丧生。该事件的历史突出表明了在袭击发生之前，节日上的司仪表演者如何举例说明了成为（像）起重机的可能性。此外，许多Alevis都将semah放在随后的纪念活动的中心，这表明了新的情感形式，并成为对Sivas大屠杀创伤的政治（通常是公众）回应。