Lecture by Kathleen Hood, Publications Director and Events Coordinator, UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology

“Continuity and Change: Bedouin Performative Traditions in the North Badia, Jordan”

Abstract: Although expressive culture, which includes the performative traditions of music, dance, and poetry, has long been an important part of Jordanian Bedouin identity, many factors have affected these traditions over the years, especially since the latter part of the twentieth century. In this presentation I will examine aspects of continuity and change in the performative traditions of the Jordanian Bedouins of the semi-arid North Badia region, located in the northeastern portion of Jordan. Although once nomadic, the majority of the Bedouins in this area are either semi-sedentary or permanently settled in villages, a fact that has already impacted their cultural traditions. This study is based on ethnographic research conducted during the summers of 2010 and 2011. The presentation will be illustrated with numerous video examples of performances by local musicians, poets, and poet-singers.

Kathleen Hood received her Ph.D. and M.A. in ethnomusicology from UCLA, specializing in the music of the Near East and Africa. She has taught ethnomusicology courses at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Riverside, and Pomona College. Her book Music in Druze Life: Ritual, Values, and Performance Practice (Druze Heritage Foundation, 2007) focuses on the music of the Druzes, an Arabic-speaking people of the Near East who are members of an eleventh-century Islamic sect. Currently, she is the Publications Director and Events coordinator at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Department of Ethnomusicology. She is also a professional cellist, performing both Western classical and Arab music.

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The Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy Colloquium Series presents a variety of lectures focusing on research and other issues important in the field of ethnomusicology.