Improvising Otherwise: A Decolonial Feminist Approach to Improvisation in Early Modern English Culture - cover image

Copyright

Fatima Lahham;

Published On

2025-04-30

ISBN

Paperback978-1-80511-520-5
Hardback978-1-80511-521-2
PDF978-1-80511-522-9
HTML978-1-80511-524-3
EPUB978-1-80511-523-6

Language

  • English

Print Length

196 pages (xiv+182)

Dimensions

Paperback156 x 11 x 234 mm(6.14" x 0.43" x 9.21")
Hardback156 x 13 x 234 mm(6.14" x 0.51" x 9.21")

Weight

Paperback287g (10.12oz)
Hardback458g (16.16oz)

Media

Illustrations18
Tables1
Audio6

OCLC Number

1518045573

THEMA

  • AVA
  • JBSF11
  • GTS

BISAC

  • MUS020000
  • SOC028000
  • PER011020
  • SOC008000
  • ART009000

Keywords

  • Early Music
  • Feminist Ear
  • Decolonial Methodologies
  • Improvisation Studies
  • Ottoman-English Relations
  • Historical Performance Practices

Improvising Otherwise

A Decolonial Feminist Approach to Improvisation in Early Modern English Culture

  • Fatima Lahham (author)
This volume redefines how we approach early music and cultural histories, intertwining feminist, decolonial, and creative perspectives. Fatima Lahham delves into the improvisational practices of early modern England, situating them within a rich tapestry of musical sources, theological texts, travel narratives, and natural histories. Inspired by Sara Ahmed’s notion of the “feminist ear,” the book amplifies voices and histories often unheard, re-examining the cultural interplay between England and the Ottoman Empire in the seventeenth century.

This groundbreaking study bridges disciplines and engages with critical race studies to explore decolonial methodologies. Lahham challenges traditional historiographies, integrating improvisation studies and early modern creativity to transform our understanding of historical performance and inspire new practices today. Tracks from her album punctuate the text, fostering an innovative, multi-modal reading experience, while creative prompts invite readers to craft their own improvisations.

At once scholarly and imaginative, this book expands the boundaries of historically informed performance and cultural studies. By mobilizing improvisation as a tool for understanding and re-imagining history, Imagining Otherwise offers a vital contribution to early music, feminist theory, and the study of England’s global engagements.

Endorsements

Lahham’s project is highly original, as it frames our understanding of early modern improvisational practices within a decolonial frame. She considers how we might ‘mobilise practices of improvision’ into our study of early music and advocates for a more inclusive historically informed approach that incorporates voices of those who have been silenced or marginalized.

Prof Amanda Eubanks Winkler

Director of the Department of Music at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University

Additional Resources

[document]EPUB Accessibility Report

Contributors

Fatima Lahham

(author)
https://fatimalahham.com/

Fatima Lahham (b.1993) is a musician and researcher with interests across musical improvisation, feminist methodologies, early modern historiographies, and music and healthcare. After studies at Oxford University and the Royal College of Music in London, she received an AHRC studentship to support her PhD research at the University of Cambridge. Since then she has held academic positions at the Royal College of Music and Royal Holloway, University of London, and is currently employed as a researcher at Nordoff & Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity. Fatima performs widely as a recorder player across baroque music, Arabic music and various improvisatory settings. Her solo album 'bulbul' (2022) has been followed by several singles and she also works as a community musician.