Andalusi music in Africa: from collective memories of coexistence to nationhood

Abstract

Andalusi music refers to a tradition that originated in the Iberian Peninsula in the 9th century and has evolved to the present day across several Mediterranean contexts. This article adopts a comparative, region-wide perspective to examine how Andalusi music embodies diverse historical layers – pre-colonial imaginaries, colonial legacies and postcolonial narratives – within distinct cases in four North African societies (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya), each shaped by its own socio-cultural dynamics. The choice to address four national contexts entails using a broad analytical lens rather than an in-depth treatment of a single case study. While such an approach cannot capture the full complexity of each local tradition, it enables the identification of broader patterns through which Andalusi music has been reframed and mobilised across the Maghreb. Acknowledging these limitations, the article positions itself as a preliminary comparative intervention that opens avenues for more focused, context-specific studies in the future. From a musicological and interdisciplinary perspective, it thus contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how musical cultures are reinvented across and beyond national boundaries. Approaching this ambiguous setting from both musicological and cultural-historical perspectives, the following question arises: Can the revitalisation of Andalusi music serve as a means of advocating for the history of cultural coexistence within and beyond present-day state borders? This question is highly relevant to interdisciplinary studies on musical practices on the African continent and beyond, and it is particularly urgent for promoting collective memories of coexistence.