Annotated Bibliography

1.       Ali, Wijdan. Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1997.

Artist and historian Wijdan Ali explains the impact of the Western world on Islamic art, specifically that of North Africa and the Middle East. Cited works from 20^th century artists in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, and others are summarized with biographies of the artists. In this way, Ali provides a survey of many Islamic countries and artists. The structure of the book, which has 224 pages along with several dozen photographs, is divided into two major sections; a section on individual countries and one focusing more on concepts. The book supplies some historical perspectives concerning traditional and modern art. Oddly, she also presents detailed discussions of calligraphic art. Without doubt, Ali's books are the most widely known and cited texts on postmodern Islamic art.

2.       Ali, Wijdan. Contemporary art from the Islamic world. London: Scorpion Publishing on behalf of the Royal Society of Fine Arts, Amman, 1989.

This book is 288 pages and I believe that Ali just an editor and not the sole author, but does write the introduction. The book describes an exhibition of the same name located in the Barbican Concourse Gallery in London. Sudan, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and Libya are represented. Benamar Mediene authors the section on Algeria, and focuses on the works of Baya and Khadda.

I don’t have much more information about this book (is coming from ILL), so I’ll give more background on Ali here. Ali was born in Amman, Jordan and received her B.A. in history from Beirut University College in 1961. She also has a Ph.D. in Islamic art from the University of London. She is currently the director of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman. Her works often represent a blend of calligraphy with tragic events in Islamic history.

Artist: Wijdan Ali

Title: Women of Carbala

Medium: Mixed media on handmade paper

Size: Triptych, 38.5" x 24" each

3.       Amari, C. “In the Land of Rai (Rap music is taking over from the traditional Rai in Algeria).” INDEX ON CENSORSHIP. 28.3 (MAY-JUN 1999): 168-71.

-Coming from ILL, should be a very interesting article.

4.       Brandes, Edda “The relation of women's music to men's music in southern Algeria.”  Music, Gender, and Culture. Ed. Marcia Herndon and Susanne Ziegler. Germany: Noetzel 1990. p. 115-30.

-Coming from ILL. Brandes presents the Ahaggar people of the the Ahaggar Mountains. The cuture here is very different from other Arab cultures, with men wearing veils. Local practices of instrument production and music are discussed. The imzad, a one-string instrument widely respected in the area, is made and performed exclusively by women. On the other hand, the tazammart, a flute-type instrument is fabricated and used only by men. Gender differences in the field of music make up the main subject of the article.

5.       Davis, Ruth F. “Arab-Andalusian music in Tunisia.” Early music. 24.3 (Aug 1996): 423-37.

I’ve left this reference even though you indicated that it might not be relevant. I would just like to personally look into this article as part of the evolution of Algerian music into its current forms. You tell me whether I should get the source from ILL.

6.       Djura. The veil of silence. London: Quartet Books, 1992.

You indicated that this was not a book, but it is, in fact, a book. Search WorldCat for Djura as the author and “Veil of Silence” as the title. The book was published in 1992 by Quartet Books and is 158 pages long. The ISBN is 0704370336. The item is on ILL.

7.       Langlois, T. “The Local and Global in North African Popular Music.” Popular Music. 15.3 (1996): 259-74.

Describes the production of Rai in North African recording studios. The meanings behind the music of Algerian and Moroccan performances are examined. Coming from ILL.

8.       Elsner, Jurgen. “Some remarks on new developments in the music of Algerian cities.” Revista de Musicologia. 16.3 (1993): 1240-5.

9.       Goodman, Jane E. “Refracting Berber Identities: Genre, Intertextuality, and Performance in Kabylia and the Kabyle Diaspora.” PhD Diss. Brandeis University. 1999.

10.   Schade-Poulsen, Marc. Men and Popular Music in Algeria: The Social Significance of Rai. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999.

The author explains Rai as the voice of Algerian men. Rai is the expression or reaction to the class struggles, politics, and economic hardship that is common among Algerians. As an anthropologist, he studies this genre of music as a way to look at Algerian society in general. The author discusses the context in which Rai is played and the aspects of modern recording studios. The history of Rai is also included. Schade-Poulsen currently works at the Danish Center for Human Rights in Copenhagen as the executive director of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network

11.   Virolle, Marie. “Rai Song: From Algeria to the International Scene.” World of Music. 42.3 (2000): 146-53. 

Coming from ILL.