Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable

At the intersection of music, philosophy, and religion, Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable explores intimate collaborations between rhythm and body, showing how they engender deep devotional experiences and ethical sensations. The focus of ethnomusicologist Inderjit N. Kaur's study is Sabad Kirtan--the congregational singing of Sikh scriptural verses--integral to Sikh worship and everyday life in South Asia and its diaspora. Building on her lifelong practice of Sabad Kirtan as a singer, composer, and listener, Kaur implements a decolonial approach to research, theorizing, and writing, and the translation of Sikh sacred song-texts. Drawing on the Sikh metaphysics of Anhad Nad--the common vibration of all existence--Kaur uncovers the intertwining of scriptural philosophy, musical practice, and everyday living--what she names a "Sikh theory of lived rhythm." Engaging the ethnographic method of participant-sensation and an interdisciplinary phenomenological approach, her investigations elucidate musical rhythm as a process that amplifies the ineffable vibrations of the inherently rhythmic vital body, interweaving the rhythmicities of sound and lived life. The first book on Sikh devotional experience to combine new insights from scriptural songs with in-depth analyses of all three major styles of Sabad Kirtan, Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable argues that diverse musical styles of Sabad Kirtan are but various means of intensifying the sensation of ethical interconnectedness. Offering unique perspectives on both Sikh Kirtan and Sikh philosophy, Kaur's study illuminates how Sikh musical worship is a practice of the embodiment of a relational oneness--a foundational ethical principle in Sikh philosophy and beyond.

About the Author :
Inderjit N. Kaur is a scholar of Sikh sacred music, with expertise spanning the classical, popular, folk, and devotional musical cultures of South Asia, and the analytical lenses and methodological approaches of phenomenology, and sound, sensory, and affect studies. She has been particularly interested in issues of the intertwining of aesthetics and ethics, representation of native epistemologies, and decolonial modes of academic research, writing, and teaching. Kaur has shared her work on Sikh K?rtan in numerous published articles and conference presentations. She currently serves as co-editor of the journal Music & Politics, and is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Review :
Nothing less than a new way of understanding the relationship between sound, rhythm, and being, Kaur's mind-expanding approach builds on open-hearted, sensory ethnographic research and a lifetime of participation in Sikh Kīrtan. Foregrounding Sikh epistemologies of vibration and subjectivity, Kaur models a decolonial framework to theory and method. More than just a welcome addition to the literature on Sikh devotional practice or on religion and the senses, Sensational Rhythms of the Ineffable shows how essential the experience of Sikh Kīrtan is to a complete understanding of either field, and how hitherto neglected it has been. In proposing a 'Sikh theory of lived rhythm,' Kaur demonstrates how the body is attuned through Kīrtan to metaphysics and practical ethics. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the transformative power of music, rhythm, and spirituality in the Sikh tradition and beyond. From a wide-angle philosophical lens, this insightful and engaging study explores rhythm as a catalyst for cultivating a relationship with the self, the world, and the Divine, and forges a compelling argument for the somatic power of Sabad Kīrtan.