Sounding Islam Voice, Media, and Sonic Atmospheres in an Indian Ocean World [Paperback]

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Sounding Islamprovides a provocative account of the sonic dimensions of religion, combining perspectives from the anthropology of media and sound studies, as well as drawing on neo-phenomenological approaches to atmospheres. Using long-term ethnographic research on devotional Islam in Mauritius, Patrick Eisenlohr explores how the voice, as a site of divine manifestation, becomes refracted in media practices that have become integral parts of religious traditions. At the core of Eisenlohr’s concern is the interplay of voice, media, affect, and listeners’ religious experiences.Sounding Islamsheds new light on a key dimension of religion, the sonic incitement of sensations that are often difficult to translate into language.

Patrick Eisenlohris Professor of Anthropology and Chair in Society and Culture in Modern India at the University of Göttingen. He is the author ofLittle India: Diaspora, Time, and Ethnolinguistic Belonging in Hindu Mauritius.

“Sounding Islamis both a pathbreaking contribution to the anthropological study of sound and media and a convincing engagement with core issues of religious transformation and experience. Patrick Eisenlohr grapples effectively with the challenges of representing the complex characteristics of sonic production, all the while framing his argument in a sensitively written, insightful, and thought-provoking ethnographic account.”—Don Brenneis, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz
 
“Eisenlohr’s marvelousSounding Islamovercomes the dualism between discursive and materialist conceptualizations of voice through exploration of the &lsquoló