Djembe in the field: An exploration of the evolution of the djembe habitus and the emergent djembe paradigm within Facebook.

The thesis addresses the evolution of West Africa’s djembe drumming, with particular reference to the changing habitus of the djembefola. It investigates how the djembe has developed from the rural system of tribal ritualistic music intended for ceremonies to a practice enacted in the Western world, in both geographical and virtual spaces, including the social networking platform Facebook. It also highlights how, at present, djembe related activities are subject to business transactions orientated towards generation of profit for both the djembefola and other parties. Conceptually, the thesis draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s Outline of a Theory of Practice (1972), Victor Turners approach to liminality in The Forest of Symbols (1967) and The Ritual Process (1997) and the concept of cultural paradigm, as used in anthropological studies (Douglas, 1985; Rogoff et al., 2014). Additionally, it explores the implications of the evolution of djembe drumming over time for our understanding of the organisation of the djembe. This is discussed in the context of the political, economic, social and technological conditions underlying djembe practice. Empirically, the research adopts an interpretive, ethnographic and netnographic approach, comprising four case studies. Fieldwork was conducted in the Gambia and in the virtual space represented by social media. The data included material obtained through interviews with djembe teachers and students, as well as Facebook posts contributed by members of djembe related interest groups. The analysis demonstrates that, at present, the djembe habitus has entered a new phase, which the thesis identifies as a fourth cultural paradigm, concomitant with the most contemporary version of the djembe habitus.