Other Shiʿa groups and practices

Tuesday (9a)

Belief and language performance practices in the global Isma'ili community: Ginan

Note: Recall that unlike the Sunni world, Shia Islam is clearly divided into numerous faith communities, depending in part on the acknowledged lineage of imams within the broader genealogy of the Prophet's family, but always tracing back to Ali, Muhammad's first cousin and son in law, and his wife Fatima. Recall this family tree (and this slightly expanded version.

Today we will focus on the Nizari branch of the Ismaʿili communities, sometimes called "Sevener" as opposed to the mainstream "Twelver" (Ithā ʿAshariyya), which is particularly prominent here in Canada, as well as in East Africa, and South Asia. The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of this community (and the benefactor of our beautiful UofA Aga Khan Garden in Edmonton, as well as the wonderful Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Among the many programs of the Aga Khan Development Network is the Aga Khan Music Programme, with whom I have been working in partnership on several projects, including the Aswan Music Project, and Borderless Flows.

Due today

Read these two articles by our special guest, Dr. Karim Gillani, PhD, and submit a brief review of the two together.

Also browse the following youtube videos to get a sense of the different genres of Ismaili language performance:

1. Ismaili Qasida (Persian): https://youtu.be/n9IJ6W2R8T4?si=QpTQnzhxU9K1WP7d
2. Ismaili Ginan: (Urdu/Hindi): https://youtu.be/PaR6QfeEeW8?si=g37Ri0Fjjmbn5en2
3. Ismaili Persian Kalam: https://youtu.be/azzYJJRFg98?si=a_0tz_XyNQjiCWmk
4. Ismaili Arabic Qasida: https://youtu.be/OfZY-yZ43So?si=PeAvsLhTVwd8IQZ3
5. Persian Qasida: Nasir-e- Khusraw: https://youtu.be/vXaYCnC1lmA?si=hdoFNw3LlBDgpXaL
6. Ginan with moral story: https://youtu.be/3-gsLRNr35g?si=3itb_Bac9cgi2G7Z
7. Ismaili Geet in various languages celebrating Navroz Festival: (Good example for Diaspora): https://youtu.be/T2x4y0gKWGY?si=dRlhX6yw5RRMSXr6

Class

• Presentation by Dr. Gillani, and discussion.

Thursday (9b)

Due today

Paper outlines. Include a title and a sequence of sections and subsections. Sections can be titled and briefly described in one sentence or two. Please do not use more than two heading levels (i.e. include sections and subsections but nothing finer-grained). The first section should be "introduction", and include aim/significance of the paper, background (area and scope), paradigm or model, more specific research questions, and methods. The last section should be "conclusions". I suggest no more than 5 sections total (i.e. three in the middle at most). The outline should fit on 1-2 pages. Submit as an uploaded document.

If you have revised your paper proposal (from week 4), including aim, methodology, or anything else, please submit that as well (you may simply edit your previously submitted document). There will be no other assignments; please focus on these documents.

Class

Report and discussion: Hemmasi, Farzaneh. 2013. “Intimating Dissent: Popular Song, Poetry, and Politics in Pre-Revolutionary Iran.” Ethnomusicology 57 (1): 57–87. https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.57.1.0057. Tobin