The Female Voice in Sufi Ritual

Devotional Practices of Pakistan and India

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Middle East Religions, Sufism
Cover of the book The Female Voice in Sufi Ritual by Shemeem Burney Abbas, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Shemeem Burney Abbas ISBN: 9780292784505
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: June 4, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Shemeem Burney Abbas
ISBN: 9780292784505
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: June 4, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
The female voice plays a more central role in Sufi ritual, especially in the singing of devotional poetry, than in almost any other area of Muslim culture. Female singers perform sufiana-kalam, or mystical poetry, at Sufi shrines and in concerts, folk festivals, and domestic life, while male singers assume the female voice when singing the myths of heroines in qawwali and sufiana-kalam. Yet, despite the centrality of the female voice in Sufi practice throughout South Asia and the Middle East, it has received little scholarly attention and is largely unknown in the West. This book presents the first in-depth study of the female voice in Sufi practice in the subcontinent of Pakistan and India. Shemeem Burney Abbas investigates the rituals at the Sufi shrines and looks at women's participation in them, as well as male performers' use of the female voice. The strengths of the book are her use of interviews with both prominent and grassroots female and male musicians and her transliteration of audio- and videotaped performances. Through them, she draws vital connections between oral culture and the written Sufi poetry that the musicians sing for their audiences. This research clarifies why the female voice is so important in Sufi practice and underscores the many contributions of women to Sufism and its rituals.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
The female voice plays a more central role in Sufi ritual, especially in the singing of devotional poetry, than in almost any other area of Muslim culture. Female singers perform sufiana-kalam, or mystical poetry, at Sufi shrines and in concerts, folk festivals, and domestic life, while male singers assume the female voice when singing the myths of heroines in qawwali and sufiana-kalam. Yet, despite the centrality of the female voice in Sufi practice throughout South Asia and the Middle East, it has received little scholarly attention and is largely unknown in the West. This book presents the first in-depth study of the female voice in Sufi practice in the subcontinent of Pakistan and India. Shemeem Burney Abbas investigates the rituals at the Sufi shrines and looks at women's participation in them, as well as male performers' use of the female voice. The strengths of the book are her use of interviews with both prominent and grassroots female and male musicians and her transliteration of audio- and videotaped performances. Through them, she draws vital connections between oral culture and the written Sufi poetry that the musicians sing for their audiences. This research clarifies why the female voice is so important in Sufi practice and underscores the many contributions of women to Sufism and its rituals.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Let the People In by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book A Natural History of Belize by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Dirty Words and Filthy Pictures by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Boss Rule in South Texas by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Palestinian Lawyers and Israeli Rule by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Chances for Peace by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Another Steven Soderbergh Experience by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Saving Ben: A Father's Story of Autism by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book The History of Capitalism in Mexico by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Texas Furniture, Volume Two by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Town in the Empire by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Stages of Struggle and Celebration by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Demosthenes, Speeches 27-38 by Shemeem Burney Abbas
Cover of the book Revolution on the Pampas by Shemeem Burney Abbas
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy