Popular Islamic music: local and global
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New genres of popular, mediated Islamic performance in the Muslim world, and beyond it...
Tuesday (12a)
World Music, Folklorization, and Festivalization in the Middle East and North Africa
Due
- Read: Kapchan, Deborah A. 2008. “The Promise of Sonic Translation: Performing the Festive Sacred in Morocco.” American Anthropologist 110 (4): 467–83.
- Watch: Sound of the Soul
Class
- Local popular Muslim genres, from Egypt and the Gulf to West Africa to Indonesia
- Global Muslim popular music: Nashid
- Fez Festival
- The Whirling Dervishes and Tourism in Istanbul
- Qawwali in South Asia beyond the shrine: Bollywood
Thursday (12b)
Popular Islamic Music in the West
Due
- Watch (Taqwacore)
- Read Islam in the Mix: Lessons of the Five Percent, by anthropologist Ted Swedenburg (University of Arkansas) [Note: unfortunately many of his links are broken, but you can google to get the same or similar information]. Locate two examples of Islamic hip hop online. Explain how each conveys an Islamic orientation, based on lyrics or images or other features, and how they contrast. (You may locate examples from Swedenburg's article if you wish, or may broaden the search to hip hop worldwide.) 1 page total.
Some links related to Swedenburg's article
- Allah U Akbar, Brand Nubian. [1] 1992.
- It was written: The Message, Nas [2] 1996.
- Fu-Gee-La, The Fugees [3] 1996.
- gods earths and 85ers, Poor Righteous Teachers [4] 1996.
- In The Ghetto, Eric B. & Rakim [5] 1990.
- Party for Your Right to Fight, Public Enemy [6] 1988.
- Ain't No Mystery, Brand Nubian (with lyrics) [7] 1993.
- True Fresh MC, The Genius [8] 1990.
- On and on, Erykah Badu [9] 1997.
- Dog It, Digable Planets [10] 1994.
A broader sampling of Islamic hip hop (including Nation of Islam, NGE, and Sunni - along with nashid and Islamic pop generally) can be located here: Muslim Hip Hop
Ironically for some, Islam has opened a space for women especially those dissatisfied with the objectifications of mainstream hip hop culture. See especially: