Sounding Islam: Voice, Media, and Sonic Atmospheres in an Indian Ocean World

190 Pages·2018·1.88 MB·English

by  Patrick Eisenlohr

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Sounding Islam

Sounding Islam
Voice, Media, and Sonic Atmospheres
in an Indian Ocean World
Patrick Eisenlohr
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university
presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing
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activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic
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visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2018 by Patrick Eisenlohr
Suggested citation: Eisenlohr, P. Sounding Islam: Voice, Media, and Sonic
Atmospheres in an Indian Ocean World. Oakland: University of California Press,
2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.53
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license.
To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Eisenlohr, Patrick, 1967– author.
Title: Sounding Islam : voice, media, and sonic atmospheres in an Indian
Ocean world / Patrick Eisenlohr.
Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2018] |
Includes bibliographical references and index. | Eisenlohr, Patrick 2018
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses
Identifiers: LCCN 2018007231 (print) | LCCN 2018012075 (ebook) | ISBN
9780520970762 (E-book) | ISBN 9780520298712 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Voice. | Sound—Religious aspects—Islam. | Islamic
poetry. | Islam—Mauritius.
Classification: LCC BP190.5.V62 (ebook) | LCC BP190.5.V62 E37 2018
(print) | DDC 297.2/67—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018007231
25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Illustrations vi
List of Audio Clips vii
Acknowledgments ix
1. Sounding Islam 1
2. Devotional Islam and Sound Reproduction 21
3. Aspirations in Transnational Religious Networks 38
4. The Materiality of Media and the Vanishing Medium 59
5. The Work of Transduction: Voice as Atmosphere 79
6. Sound as Affect? Encorporation and Movement in Vocal Performance 109
Conclusion 129
Notes 135
References 145
Index 161
Illustrations
1. Mauritian CD cover of a collection of na‘t recordings 29
2. From a booklet accompanying a Mauritian CD of na‘t poetry 30
3. Center of the Da‘wat-e Islami in Port Louis 40
4. Stall selling CDs and DVDs, Port Louis 43
5. Still from a video recording of a mahfil-e mawlud 63
6. Spectrogram and waveform of “husne ‘amal” 101
7. Spectrogram and waveform of “voh na thā” 102
8. Spectrogram and waveform of “kāsh mehshar” 104
9. Spectrogram and waveform of “terī qudraton” 105
10. Spectrogram and waveform of “past voh kaise ho saktā hai” 106
11. Spectrogram and waveform of “unke dāman” 107
12. Spectrogram of “madīne ke jalwon pe qurbān jāun” 115
13. Spectrogram of “gunbad-e sabz par jab paṛegī nazar” 118
14. Spectrogram of “ek yahī sahārā hai” 122
15. Waveform of “ek yahī sahārā hai” 123
vi
Audio Clips
1. “Husne ‘amal” 101
2. “Voh na thā” 102
3. “Kāsh mehshar” 104
4. “Terī qudraton” 105
5. “Past voh kaise ho saktā hai” 106
6. “Unke dāman” 107
7. “Madīne ke jalwon pe qurbān jāun” 115
8. “Gunbad-e sabz par jab paṛegī nazar” 118
9. “Ek yahī sahārā hai” 123
vii