The Process of Acculturation in Kojour music

This article aims to analyze the process of acculturation in music of Kojour district in Mazandaran province. Since the Safavid period, different ethnic groups have migrated to Kojour; their encounters and interactions over the years have led to emergence of two groups of "Gil" and "Eel", which after centuries of conflicts, have turned into mixed cultures. Since musical acculturation can be studied alongside other social and cultural changes of ethnic groups, authors of this article have analyzed this process in the music of Kojour according to concepts of "syncretism" and "substitution". The research is an ethnomusicological study and data have been gathered by interviewing with well-informed people about Kojour music and recording musical pieces. Field data have been analyzed by comparing melodies based on the acculturation process. Findings show that presence of different migrant groups in Kojour district since centuries ago and the interaction of their cultures have led to a cultural integration and it has deeply influenced the music of this district as an important cultural component.