We are delighted to announce the inauguration of the IMS Study Group “Music in the Muslim Worlds” chaired by Salvatore Morra (UK) and Kawkab Tawfik (EG). Below is an excerpt from the mission statement:

The IMS Study Group “Music in the Muslim Worlds” investigates the interrelations between music and Islam as they are experienced, practiced, and conceptualized across a diversity of Muslim societies. At the heart of this inquiry lies a recognition of the centrality of sound and musical production in Muslim cultural and religious life, as exemplified by the intimate relationship between Islamic spirituality and prominent Muslim sonic practices. The study group welcomes a range of disciplinary perspectives such as: studies in modal music theory (maqām, dastgāh, rāga), history of musical instruments, archival and ethnographic research on religious rituals, musicological analyses, as well as historical, literary, and philosophical approaches.

Visit the study group page for the full statement and further details.