We often invest a word with a more rigid meaning than its ambiguous reality allows. In public performances of the sacred music and dance ceremony (sema) of the Mevlevi dervishes of Turkey we can find a number of ambiguities associated with the word "Mevlevi." Exploring a few of these ambiguities can provide us with a richer and more realistic understanding of this presentation of the ritual, its meanings, and its music.

Can a ritual be sacred and a public spectacle at the same time?

Are the ritual participants "Mevlevi"?

Is there anything distinctively "Mevlevi" about Mevlevi music?

Conclusion
 

Documentation

updated 23.XI.2007