Exposition

Safe Ocean: Artistic and Autoethnographic Explorations of Music and Sound as Vessels for Finnish Kosovar Second-Generation Identity (2026)

Merve Abdurrahmani
open exposition

About this exposition

Abstract This study investigates the role of music and sound in shaping a sense of identity among second-generation immigrants in Finland, with a particular focus on Finnish Kosovar experiences. As Finland moves from a historically homogeneous society toward a more multicultural landscape, understanding how musical engagement influences identity formation becomes increasingly significant. Through autoethnographic reflection and artistic practice, this research explores how listening, performing, and creating music mediate the negotiation of cultural heritage, integration, and hybrid identities among individuals navigating multiple cultural worlds. Central to this exploration is the master concert Safe Ocean, which serves as both a personal and academic articulation of the study’s core themes. The concert integrates multilingual expression, traditional Albanian and Turkish musical materials, and hybrid compositional methods that also incorporate Nordic musical elements such as modal melodies, open-voiced harmonies, and timbral aesthetics characteristic of the region’s contemporary folk and art music practices. By combining solo, small-group, and full-ensemble arrangements, the project presents both intimate and collective expressions, engaging instruments and musical influences from Kosovar Albanian, Turkish, Nordic, and Middle Eastern traditions. Through the interweaving of autoethnographic insight, artistic creation, and scholarly inquiry, this study demonstrates how music evokes memory, supports emotional processing, and supports dialogue between multiple cultural worlds. Findings indicate that engagement with sound and musical practice contributes not only to personal identity formation but also to the creation of social belonging and spaces for intercultural dialogue. This research contributes to broader discussions on music, diaspora, and identity, offering insight into how artistic practices can mediate complex cultural experiences and support the integration of second-generation immigrants within multicultural societies.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsbelonging, identity, multiculturalism, integration, immigration, second-generation immigrants, Finnish society, music-making, sound, Kosova, Multiculturalism, Cross-cultural music, third space
date22/12/2025
published15/01/2026
last modified15/01/2026
statuspublished
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/4080732/4080733
doihttps://doi.org/10.22501/rc.4080732
published inResearch Catalogue


Copyrights

nameMerve (A Song for Nana)
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameSafe Ocean cover picture for the thesis
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesbackground, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background
nameAarne & Mamba
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameAntti
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameJussi
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameManuel
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameMehrnoosh
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameIda (kulning)
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameThe ensemble (left side)
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameband right
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
namebowings
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
namethe audience
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameThe community
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameresearch catalogue lilac background for the poems
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesbackground, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background, background
nameMerve-main picture
copyrightLaura Salazar Bogoya
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
namecajtore
copyrightBleron Çaka
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesvideo
nameThe ensemble
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture, picture
nameMerve backgroundJPG
copyrightLaura Salazar Bogoya
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameIki kapi arasinda
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesaudio
nameDivine background
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesbackground, background, background
nameSafe Ocean, encore copy
copyrightVille Tanttu
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesvideo
nameSafe Ocean, A song for nana copy
copyrightVille Tanttu
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesvideo
nameOcean waves
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licensePublic domain
usagesaudio
nameMerve & photo
copyrightLaura Salazar Bogoya
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesvideo
nameSAFE OCEAN LOGO
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameMerve demping
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameinstruments
copyrightMaarit Kytöharju
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
namemaster's thesis, last version, 15.1.26
copyrightMerve Abdurrahmani
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespdf

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