Resonance, Ritual, and Existential Grief: A Phenomenological Reading of the "Ba-zerān" Song-Ritual — From the Body as Primary Instrument and the Transition from Performance Ritual to Folk Song to Existential Empathy in Contemporary Migration

Abstract This research presents a critical interdisciplinary inquiry into "Ba-zerān," a canonical song-ritual deeply rooted in the Zagros cultural basin of Iran (encompassing Laki, Lori, and Kurdish heritage). Moving beyond historical reductionism that classifies "Ba-zerān" as a mere celebratory folk tune or rotational group dance, this study bridges indigenous linguistics, musical semiotics, and the phenomenology of the body. Linguistically, it investigates the imperative phonetic prefix (ba-) versus dialectal shifts, including a critical analysis of Saghaei’s (1975) classic performance. Theoretically, the paper formulates three central theses anchored in the frameworks of Merleau-Ponty (1945/2012), Fuchs (2018), and Casey (2009): First, before the introduction of manufactured instruments, the performance relied on "the Body as Primary Instrument," where somatic foot-stamping and the resonant clashing of metallic dress ornaments (zer-zer) served as the primary acoustic driver. Second, "Ba-zerān" underwent a historical mutation from a wordless, somatic performance ritual into an oral folk song. Third, by bridging the natural topographic barriers of the Zagros Mountains with the artificial geopolitical walls imposed on modern migrants, the study articulates an existential continuity of displacement, grief, and longing within the contemporary Iranian diaspora. Ultimately, this work illuminates "Ba-zerān" as a living archive of somatic memory, linguistic preservation, and existential empathy.