Hearing Islam: The Sounds of a Global Religious Tradition

Lauren E. Osborne
Paperback, 176 pages
9780367768829

Hearing Islam introduces the global religious tradition of Islam through its rich history of sounds and music.

The book explores how the centrality of sonic practices and experiences within Islamic traditions stems largely from the orality of the Qur’an and the importance of recitation, while arguing that sound can provide a productive point of entry to human cultures in general. Its tripartite structure guides the reader through the foundations of Islamic traditions and sounds; theoretical frameworks of orality, listening, and deafness; and some of the major types of sonic practices and genres related to Islam, such as chanting the Islamic poetic tradition, South Asian qawwali, and hip-hop.

Contents
Part I. Foundations
1. The Recitation of the Qurʾan
2. Calling the Faithful to Prayer
3. Islam and Music
Part II. Frameworks
4. Orality: Islam as it is Spoken
5. Listening in Islam
6. Deafness
Part III. Genres
7. Chanting and Singing Islam
8. Mysticism and Music
9. Islam and Hip-Hop