Punjabiyat and the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Abstract

Undoubtedly, one of the most popular singers of South Asia, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, individually, and as part of his Qawaali party has been neglected in the academic literature. Rectifying that situation, this article locates his biography and music in the context of another under-theorised area of scholarly work, that of Punjabiyat. In exploring Nusrat's biography, the connections between a non-essential notion of Punjabiyat and musical performativity are illustrated and examined. The various forces that operate to sustain musical and cultural continuity are presented in an oscillation between the normatively demarcated zones of East Punjab, West Punjab and the Punjabi diaspora.

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