The role of Folk music in identity construction, expression and promoting healing in case of Janamora

Abstract

This study investigated the dual role of folk music in expressing collective identity and facilitating healing within a community. It explores how participants use folk music performances to express a shared sense of identity, understood as a collective or group identity, and examines its construction and reflection within the social fabric. The study also examines the therapeutic role of folk music, focusing on in the context of healing. A qualitative research methodology was employed, involving observation and in-depth interviews as primary data collection methods. The data were analysed using theoretical frameworks, including structural-functionalism, psychoanalysis, and social identity theory. Field notes, audio recordings, and video recordings were utilized to capture relevant data. An ethnographic research design was adopted to gain an in-depth understanding of the community’s cultural practices and social perceptions. The analysis discovered that the community’s identity is intricately tied to themes of heroism, gender roles, history, tradition, productivity, generosity, and religiosity. The findings show that the community expresses its collective identity through musical performances, using music as a coping mechanism and tool for healing from socio-psychological challenges. Issues such as crop failure, infertility, persecution, war, and the erosion of moral values are perceived as forms of social illness. In response, especially during the Epiphany, the community participates in rituals such as collective singing, lamentation, and the sharing of historical narratives, employing these practices as strategies for social healing and resilience. The study highlights song, chanting, Sacred Promise (Selete), and storytelling as central expressions of healing within the community.