Musical Ethics and Islam

At the heart of this study is a musical practice that occupies a significant place in the contemporary public soundscape of Turkey: the art of playing the ney. Intimately connected with Sufism in both the Ottoman Empire and, for better or worse, in modern secular Turkey, the ney has been a popular instrument throughout the Middle East and North Africa. After enduring a checkered social life during the Turkish Republic’s modernizing reforms, today in a more Islam-friendly socio-political environment the ney is flourishing. Based on extensive field research in Istanbul and an apprentice-style method of inquiry, the book documents the lifetime of preparation required to become an expert player of the ney (neyzen). It examines in particular the transformative power of this Islamic art pedagogy to cultivate new artistic and ethical perceptions in learners. Crafting oneself as a neyzen transcends ‘mere’ musical technique in profound ways, as it also involves developing a certain way of living. Exploring firsthand the practical process of musical teaching and learning, together with their ethical scaffolding, the book has theoretical implications for scholars studying many other forms of apprentice-style learning. It also helps redress the underdeveloped understandings and often-polemical claims made in both the media and by Islamophobic discourse concerning processes by which Muslims develop a religious and moral sense.