Sikh/Muslim Bhai-Bhai?: Towards a Social History of the Rabābī Tradition of Kirtan

This article situates the rabābī tradition of kīrtan within the backdrop of politicized religious boundaries, which find it increasingly difficult to locate the Muslim presence within Sikh history and sacred music. The musical recitation of Sikh sacred hymns through shabad kīrtan has its origins in the appointment by Gurū Nanak of his companion Bhai Mardana in the fifteenth century. This story of origins, while being an integral part of how shabad kīrtan is reflected upon, has not been adequately explored for its significance in terms of social relations, not least for what are now seen as oppositional locations of Sikh and Muslim. The article explores how a social history of the rabābī tradition within context raises a number of questions about how we conceptualize shabad kīrtan within wider currents of identity, religious boundary-making, professional association and spiritual music.