Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact

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dc.contributor.advisorNixon, Michael
dc.contributor.authorAdams, Rashid Epstein
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-17T08:34:19Z
dc.date.available2025-04-17T08:34:19Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.date.updated2025-04-17T08:32:53Z
dc.description.abstractMadagascar's enigmatic settlement is one of the unsolved puzzles of human history. For more than a century, scholars have been narrating the story of remarkable pre-colonial Indian Ocean migrations from Southeast Asia, East Africa and West Asia to the world's fourth-largest island. With a recent increase in research by scholars from various disciplines, the details surrounding Madagascar's settlement are slowly taking form. Within this context, I enquire what the study of music can contribute towards these investigations. By foregrounding musical instruments, the tangible aspects of musical culture, I present important evidence linking Madagascar to these Indian Ocean regions. My approach is two-fold. Firstly, I conduct a classification-based organological study by comparing several Malagasy instruments to examples found in Southeast Asia, East Africa and West Asia. I argue, on the basis of strikingly similar forms and names with the same roots, that these Malagasy instruments are localised versions of instruments diffused to the island. Secondly, I foreground Madagascar's national instrument, the valiha, by examining its visual development and incorporation of symbolic imagery. By viewing it as an object that is not limited to making beautiful sounds, I reveal how the valiha embodies enormous amounts of knowledge. This knowledge, often relating to heritage and identity, situates the musical instrument as a potentially vital constituent to advance the study of Malagasy origins.
dc.identifier.apacitationAdams, R. E. (2018). <i>Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact</i>. (). ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41391en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationAdams, Rashid Epstein. <i>"Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact."</i> ., ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41391en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationAdams, R.E. 2018. Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact. . ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41391en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Adams, Rashid Epstein AB - Madagascar's enigmatic settlement is one of the unsolved puzzles of human history. For more than a century, scholars have been narrating the story of remarkable pre-colonial Indian Ocean migrations from Southeast Asia, East Africa and West Asia to the world's fourth-largest island. With a recent increase in research by scholars from various disciplines, the details surrounding Madagascar's settlement are slowly taking form. Within this context, I enquire what the study of music can contribute towards these investigations. By foregrounding musical instruments, the tangible aspects of musical culture, I present important evidence linking Madagascar to these Indian Ocean regions. My approach is two-fold. Firstly, I conduct a classification-based organological study by comparing several Malagasy instruments to examples found in Southeast Asia, East Africa and West Asia. I argue, on the basis of strikingly similar forms and names with the same roots, that these Malagasy instruments are localised versions of instruments diffused to the island. Secondly, I foreground Madagascar's national instrument, the valiha, by examining its visual development and incorporation of symbolic imagery. By viewing it as an object that is not limited to making beautiful sounds, I reveal how the valiha embodies enormous amounts of knowledge. This knowledge, often relating to heritage and identity, situates the musical instrument as a potentially vital constituent to advance the study of Malagasy origins. DA - 2018 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Music LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2018 T1 - Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact TI - Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41391 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/41391
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationAdams RE. Madagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact. []. ,Faculty of Humanities ,College of Music, 2018 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41391en_ZA
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentCollege of Music
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.subjectMusic
dc.titleMadagascar's Musical Migrations: Instruments as Framework to Reimagine Early Indian Ocean Contact
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
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