Oğuz M. Yorgancıoğlu as a Researcher of Turkish Cypriot Folk Culture

Abstract

This article aims to reveal the profile of Oğuz M. Yorgancıoğlu (1942- 2021), a Cypriot Turkish folklorist and writer, as a researcher based on his work on Cypriot Turkish folk culture. To this end, after a general introduction to the Turkish Cypriots and Turkish Cypriot folklore studies, a brief biography of Yorgancıoğlu is provided. Subsequently, Yorgancıoğlu’s profile as a folklorist is examined under nine headings identified through an analysis of his works. To determine these nine headings, all of Oğuz M. Yorgancıoğlu’s books were reviewed from a folklore perspective. The data conveyed and discussed under these headings have been collectively evaluated in the conclusion section of the study, and the results reached have been listed in bullet points. Within the framework of these results, it can be seen that Yorgancıoğlu’s fundamental aim as a folklorist was to record and process Cypriot Turkish culture, pass it on to future generations, and thus contribute to its preservation in every respect. On the other hand, it has also been concluded that Yorgancıoğlu’s books, in terms of the originality of the products, observations and evaluations they contain, constitute important sources of data for studies to be carried out in the field of Turkish Cypriot folk culture.