Highland Festivals in Türkiye’s Eastern Black Sea Region: A Cultural Sociological Analysis

Abstract

This article examines the social functions of highland festivals in Türkiye’s Eastern Black Sea uplands and their role in sustaining cultural continuity. Drawing on participant observation at major festivals in Gümüşhane, Rize, and Artvin, alongside relevant case studies, the research finds that these rituals generate strong collective effervescence and enact common values. Despite pressures from emigration and tourism, the festivals have adapted practices to maintain social cohesion. Interpreted through a cultural sociological framework, the analysis shows how ritual performances operate as symbolic practices that reinforce identity, embody shared habitus, and mediate the tension between tradition and modernity. The research thus illustrates how highland festivals function as sites of cultural reproduction and collective solidarity under conditions of social change.