BOMBAY CINEMAS ISLAMICATE HISTORIES

Following Marshal Hodgson, The Term Islamicate Is Used To Distinguish The Cultural Forms Associated With Islam From The Religion Itself. The Term Is Especially Useful In South Asia Where Muslim Cultures Have Commingled With Other Religious And Cultural Traditions Over A Millennium To Form A Rich Vein Of Syncretic Aesthetic Expression. Comprising Fourteen Essays By Major Scholars, This Collection Presents An Engaging Account Of The History And Influence Of Cultural Islam On Bombay Cinema. The First Section, Islamicate Histories, Charts The Historical Roots Of South Asian Muslim Cultures And The Precursors Of Bombay CinemaS Islamicate Idioms In The Urdu Parsi Theatre; The Courtesan Cultures Of Lucknow; The Traditions Of Miniature Painting; The Literary, Musical And Performance Traditions Of North India; And Various Modes Of PersoArabic StoryTelling. The Second Section, Cinematic Forms, Discusses The Ways In Which These Islamicate Histories Have Contributed To The Distinctive Stories, Performance Traditions, And Iconography Of Bombay Cinema That Persist In Bollywood. It Explores Islamicate Genres Like The Oriental Film And The Muslim Social, As Well As Forms Of Poetry And Performance Like The Ghazal And The Qawwali. At A Time Of Acute Crisis In The Perception And Understanding Of Islam, Bombay CinemaS Islamicate Histories Demonstrates How Hindu And Muslim Cultures In India Are Inextricably Entwined. This Book Will Be Of Interest To Students And Scholars Of Film Studies, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, History, WomenS Studies, Visual Studies, Performance Studies And South Asian Area Studies, As Well As To Journalists And Archivists.