From Qawwali to Coke Studio The Evaluation of Music as a Social Identity in Pakistan

Abstract

Music is central to the process of forming the cultural and social identity of any given society as not only the source of artistic expression but also the mirror of the collective consciousness of a particular community. Qawwali is a type of Sufi devotional music that is very much part of Pakistani culture and has evolved as a religious practice to a cultural phenomenon. Research articles point to its development in the path to Sufi shrines, to social and cultural events, and its usefulness in the expression of religious sentiments, spiritual experiences and cultural identity. In the case of Pakistan, the changes in music as it was originally (as a traditional mela such as Qawwali) to a new form of digital music on Coke Studio would be a great change in the culture of the people, and it would reflect the various changes in the identity, ideologies, and values of people in Pakistan. This study explains how music can be used to build, sustain and restructure social identity in Pakistan based on a comparative analysis of Qawwali and Coke Studio. The results suggest that though Qawwali still remains a powerful cultural and historical reference, such a legacy has been reinstated through the Coke Studio by promoting pluralism and allowing the representation of undervalued cultures and languages. The significance of this study to cultural research is that it provides a perspective on how art and identity interplay in a dynamic and changing culture like Pakistan and how significant music is as a social force uniting people and transforming their identities.