MofA Week 12.

Global representations and flows

Arjun Appadurai's "scapes"

(from his Modernity at Large (1996)

Perspectives:

• Ethnoscape
• Mediascape
• Finanscape
• Ideoscape
• Technoscape (and here one might discuss the significant impact of the global music industry on music in the territorial Arab world)

• We examine two perspectives on globalization of music of the Arab world:
  • Diasporic Arab musics as "music of the Arab world": music of the Arab ethnoscape
  • The absorption of "music of the Arab world" (often diasporic) into Western music (these days, via a transnational music industry, often classified as "World Music"): Arab music of the mediascape

Background: Orientalism

• History of Orientalism in art and literature
• Representations of Oriental music, dance

[1] [2]

• Representations of the "Orient" in Western art music (Mozart and others: "Alla Turca" techniques)

Arab diaspora as part of the Arab world

• Diaspora in France: Development of Rai, Oran to Paris
  • France ruled Algeria as a colony 1834-1962
  • Influx of Algerians to France
    • 1945: 350,000 Algerians in France
    • 1964: estimated 500,000
    • Early 1980s: 800,000
  • Many French of Algerian descent continue to live in the poorer banlieues (low income projects) outside Paris
  • Simultaneously rai musicians fled Algeria
  • Rai therefore developed its modern forms in Paris
  • Listening examples
• Diaspora in America: Music of Arab Americans
  • Levantines emigrated to America from the 19th century
  • Larger numbers entered in the early 20th century
  • Most immigrants were Syrian-Lebanese Christians
  • Recreation of traditional music centered on church communities
  • hafla, mahrajan

New Orientalism: "Exotic" representations of Arab music and dance in Western popular culture

• Arab music for Americans
  • Mohammed el-Bakkar, and his seminal album Port Said. Read the notes for this album and also for African Arab.
  • The Best of George Abdo and His Flames of Araby Orchestra (link works on campus only; otherwise search Smithsonian Global Sound database via the library
• The Oriental Nightclub in America
• Hollywood Bellydance (e.g. Nejla Ates (Son of Sinbad , 1955))
• new representations in popular art
• Participatory bellydance: a ubiquitous Western phenomenon, considered art/exercise/feminine spirituality/professional showbiz, with its own forms (e.g. tribal), often appearing in the media. Here's a Fox report on a professional troupe.
• For discussion: how does "orientalism" of American popular culture in the 1950s and 60s compare to European "orientalism" of the 18th and 19th centuries? What has changed? What has not?

Arab music in the "world music" bins

• World music themes: the exotic, the spiritual, the "primitive", "roots", the African...
• Try search on Amazon.com!
• Classics
  • Umm Kulthum
  • Fairuz
  • Abdel Halim
• Mainstream Arab pop stars, displaying various degrees of fusion
  • Amr Diab
    • Arab world and global hit, Habibi Ya Nour al-Ayn
    • World Music Awards 2007
  • Hakeem
    • Recent Arab-world hit, Assalamu alaykum
    • Hakeem in Central Park
    • Hakeem in Dominican fusion
• Sufi music (part of world music's fascination with the spiritual)
  • Shaykh Yasin al-Tuhami
  • Liturgies of Sufi orders
  • Gnawa music
• Arab world music stars
  • New Rai music: Oran to Paris to World,
  • Didi or Didi, Khaled's global hit
  • Wahrane, by Khaled
  • Desert Rose, duet of Cheb Mami and Sting
  • Global gnawa: fusion of Hassan Hakmoun
• Bellydance music
• Expat musicians: representing the homeland, while not usually known there
  • Popular (e.g. Hossam Ramzy)
  • New classicism: Simon Shaheen (NYC, Palestinian-American), Jihad Racy (Los Angeles, Lebanese-American), together on Taqasim
• "Authentic" musical tours (e.g. CDs of Institut du Monde Arabe)
• For discussion: what factors determine which music succeeds as "world music"?