Ethics in Folklore Based on Clifford Geertz’s Interpretivist Discourse Analysis Approach (Case Study: Kurdish Proverbs and Arabic Proverbs)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.

3 PhD in Sociology, Researcher at the Institute of Kurdish Studies, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.

Abstract

The folklore and oral literature of any nation serve as a comprehensive reflection of its moral values. Undoubtedly, Kurds and Arabs, due to their geographical proximity and long-standing historical interactions, have influenced each other’s cultures. The aim of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the role of ethics in the folklore and oral literature of Kurdish speakers in Iranian Kurdistan and Arabic-speaking communities. An anthropological reading of Kurdish and Arabic proverbs— which encapsulate the most prominent representations of ethical values— reveals the shared and divergent dimensions of ethics in both cultures. In this study, ethical values are examined through two dimensions: consequential and normative. The consequential dimension of ethics encompasses relationships with others, oneself, and nature. The normative dimension, on the other hand, includes six criteria: perfectionism, avoidance of improper behavior, moral virtue, forgiveness, and moral identity. The central question of this research concerns how consequential and normative ethical values are represented in Kurdish and Arabic proverbs. A comparative analysis of these ethical indicators within Kurdish proverbs from Iranian Kurdistan and Arabic proverbs—approached from a cultural anthropology perspective and employing Clifford Geertz’s thick description methodology—reveals that similarities in social life have led to a shared orientation in ethical values and beliefs reflected in both Kurdish and Arabic proverbs. Furthermore, differences in the expression and definition of ethical values highlight the distinct linguistic, geographical, cultural, historical, and existential experiences of these two communities.

In this study, ethical values are examined through two dimensions: consequential and normative. The consequential dimension of ethics encompasses relationships with others, oneself, and nature. The normative dimension, on the other hand, includes six criteria: perfectionism, avoidance of improper behavior, moral virtue, forgiveness, and moral identity. The central question of this research concerns how consequential and normative ethical values are represented in Kurdish and Arabic proverbs.

A comparative analysis of these ethical indicators within Kurdish proverbs from Iranian Kurdistan and Arabic proverbs—approached from a cultural anthropology perspective and employing Clifford Geertz’s thick description methodology—reveals that similarities in social life have led to a shared orientation in ethical values and beliefs reflected in both Kurdish and Arabic proverbs. Furthermore, differences in the expression and definition of ethical values highlight the distinct linguistic, geographical, cultural, historical, and existential experiences of these two communities.

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References

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