E498 | The history of North Africa is usually framed by the period of French colonialism and the era of independent nations that followed. But what happens if we let an object like the 78 rpm record do the work of periodization? In this episode, we talk to Christopher Silver about the unique vantage point that gramophone records offer on the emergence of national culture in the Maghreb during the first half of the 20th century. We will explore the work of artists whose lives straddled Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco as well as the colonial metropoles, and we will highlight the role of North African Jewish singers, musicians, producers, and promoters in the development of the region's music industry.
More at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2021/03/gharamophone.html
Christopher Silver is the Segal Family Assistant Professor in Jewish History and Culture in the Department of Jewish Studies at McGill University. He earned his PhD in History from UCLA. He is the author of numerous article on history and music in North Africa, including most recently in the International Journal of Middle East Studies.
Chris Gratien is Assistant Professor of History at University of Virginia, where he teaches classes on global environmental history and the Middle East. He is currently preparing a monograph about the environmental history of the Cilicia region of the former Ottoman Empire from the 1850s until the 1950s.
CREDITS
Episode No. 498
Release Date: 22 March 2021
Recording Location: Montreal / Charlottesville, VA
Sound production by Chris Gratien
For more music and information about North African recording artists of the gramophone era, visit Christopher Silver's website Gharamophone: https://gharamophone.com/
Images and bibliography courtesy of Christopher Silver available at https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2021/03/gharamophone.html
