Syncretic Islamic communities & their music: Difference between revisions

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History: how the Gnawas came to Morocco...
History: how the Gnawas came to Morocco...


* West African history: [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191735851.timeline.0001 general timeline];  [http://archnet.org/timelines/48 art timeline]; [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06&region=afu West African timeline], [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section4.shtml empires of West Africa (BBC)]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ykeMBjq_fE Basil Davidson on Empires of Gold]
* West African history: [https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191735851.timeline.0001 general timeline]; [http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06&region=afu West African timeline], [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section4.shtml empires of West Africa (BBC)]; [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ykeMBjq_fE Basil Davidson on Empires of Gold]
** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_Empire Ghana]
** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_Empire Ghana]
** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Empire Mali]
** [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Empire Mali]

Revision as of 18:08, 11 March 2024

Syncretism from an Islamic perspective: spirit propitiation/healing groups and practices combining Islamic and sub-saharan Africa: Gnawa and Zar


Tuesday (10a)

From Kurdistan to Turkey to Morocco: Ahl al-Haqq, Bektashi/Alevi ... and Gnawa!

Due

Read/skim and review one of the following two (depending on your interests - your choice!), in conjunction with the videos posted for last week:

  1. Yaresan (Ahl al-Haqq): Introduction and Chapter 5: Ritual and Observance from “God First and Last". Religious Traditions and Music of the Yaresan of Guran, by Philip G. Kreyenbroek (feel free to browse other sections of the book if you're interested)
  2. Bektashi and Alevi: The Role of Expressive Culture in the Demystification of a Secret Sect of Islam: The Case of the Alevis of Turkey, by Irene Markoff. The World of Music, Vol. 28, No. 3, Islam (1986), pp. 42-56 (15 pages)

Watch and review: "Gnawa Music - Body and Soul" (if you have trouble with the link, search for the title in Films on Demand)

What connections can you perceive between these traditions? How are they similar or different? Consider ritual, folkloric, and popular/world musical forms (including intersections with other genres, like jazz). Compare and contrast them in your review.

You may submit both reviews in one page or less.

Class

Intro to Gnawa and its globalization

Some lilas:

History: how the Gnawas came to Morocco...

Gnawa fusions: jazz, funk, hiphop, festival

Student presentations as per above.

Thursday (10b)

Gnawa continued....links to jazz and popular music in the West.

Zar.


Due

Read: Liminal Rites and Female Symbolism in the Egyptian Zar Possession Cult, by Richard Natvig, Numen, Vol. 35, Fasc. 1 (Jul., 1988), pp. 57-68

Listen/watch: traditional Egyptian zar

Then browse the following sites and videos produced by two folkloric centers in Cairo:

Makan:

El Mastaba

Also note diffusion of Zar to other parts of the world:

Submit: one page on similarities and differences between Moroccan Gnawa and Egyptian Zar. Consider: the people, the ritual, the music - but also the ways this music has been folklorized, rendered "world music", or mixed with other genres. How, when, and where does the performance retain a spiritual significance, and why is that significance at other times and places eliminated? What are the reasons why the two traditions may be similar? Why are there differences?

Class

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