Performativity and Soundscape in a Ritual; A Schechner-Crawford Study of Mehfil e Milad’s Performativity and Soundscape

Abstract

Mehfil e Milad un Nabi (P.B.U.H) is a concept very common in South Asia as the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). It is celebrated all year round and specifically on 12^th Rabi ul Awwal in Islamic calendar, the birthdate of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This research paper aims to analyze the soundscape of Mehfil e Milad ritual. The theoretical frameworks used for this purpose are Richard Schechner’s concept of rituals as performances given in his book Performance Studies- An Introduction, and Kate Crawford’s concept of lurkers and listeners from the anthology The Sound Studies Reader. The research has been conducted on selected videos from YouTube. The method used for this research is historiographical method, i.e. research and analysis through the documented records. Taking into account the existing research on space and visuals of Mehfil e Milad, this research paper aims to address the research gap of the contribution of sound to the performativity of Mehfil e Milad. The scope of this research is limited to the analysis of performativity and soundscape in Mehfil e Milad and has no concern about the theological or doctrinal interpretations of Mehfil e Milad.