Men and popular music in Algeria : the social significance of raï / Marc Schade-Poulsen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schade-Poulsen, Marc.

Series:

Modern Middle East series (Austin, Tex.) ; no. 20.

Modern Middle East series (Columbia University. Middle East Institute)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rai (Music)--History and criticism.

Rai (Music).

Physical Description:

250 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 1999.

Summary:

Rai music is often called the voice of the voiceless in Algeria, a society currently swept by tragic conflict. Rai is the voice of Algerian men, young men caught between generations and classes, in political strife, and in economic inequality. In a ground-breaking study, anthropologist Marc Schade-Poulsen uses this popular music genre as a lens through which he views Algerian society, particularly male society. He situates rai within Algerian family life, moral codes, and broader power relations.

Schade-Poulsen did his research in the 1990s in clubs, in recording studios, at weddings, and with street musicians. He describes the history of rai, which emerged in the late 1970s and spread throughout North Africa at the same time the Islamist movement was growing to become the most potent socio-political movement in Algeria.

Outsiders consider rai to be Western in origin, but Schade-Poulsen shows its Islamic roots as well. The musicians do use Western instruments, but the music itself mixes Algerian popular songs and rhythms with the beat of American disco, Egyptian modalities, Moroccan wedding tunes, and the songs of Julio Iglesias. The lyrics deal with male-female relationships but also with generational relationships and the problems of youth, as they struggle to find a place in a conflicted society.

The study, in its innovative approach to music as a template of society, helps the reader understand the two major movements among today's Algerian youth: one toward the mosque and the other toward the West.

Contents:

2. A Story of Rai 19

3. The Rai Performance and Studio Recording 38

4. Young Men in the City 75

5. Listening to Rai 97

6. Transgressions in Rai: The Weak Side of the Strong 133

7. The Rai of Love 159

8. Postscript 188

Appendix 1 Four Versions of "Ma dannitsh natfarqu" 197

Appendix 2 Four Rai Songs 210.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [235]-246) and index.

ISBN:

0292777396

029277740X

OCLC:

39532663