The latest episode of “The Folklorist’s Voice” project has been released. The guest of this edition was Professor Ramazan Gafarli, Doctor of Philological Sciences and Head of the Department Dede Gorgud at the Institute of Folklore of ANAS.

In his presentation, Professor Ramazan Gafarli spoke on the topic “The Azerbaijani-Turkic Epic in Contemporary Scholarly Thought: The Book of Dede Gorgud, Koroglu and Love Epics”. He mentioned that the Azerbaijani-Turkic epic tradition constitutes an important part of the nation's cultural heritage, preserving the historical memory, worldview and spiritual values of the people.

According to the scholar, The Book of Dede Gorgud, Koroglu and the love epics were not merely literary works, but also significant epic structures that had transmitted ethical norms, ideals of heroism and models of social thought from one generation to another.

Professor Ramazan Gafarli described The Book of Dede Gorgud as the principal source reflecting the archaic socio-cultural codes of Oghuz society, while characterizing Koroglu as the epic embodiment of the people's aspirations for freedom, justice and resistance. He also noted that the love epics were centered on themes of personal spiritual development, loyalty and inner trials.

In concluding his presentation, Professor Ramazan Gafarli noted that the integrated study of these three epic traditions provided a comprehensive scholarly understanding of the Azerbaijani-Turkic epic heritage and a deeper interpretation of its significance within the context of contemporary humanities.

It should be noted that the video was produced by the Folklore Studio of the Institute of Folklore ANAS.