معرفی
Jean During is a distinguished Research Director affiliated with Lesc-UMR 7186 at MSH Mondes (Maison des Sciences de l'Homme Mondes) in Nanterre, France. His career spans decades of immersive fieldwork, notably 17 years in Iran and Uzbekistan, where he studied under master musicians and documented vanishing traditions. As an ethnomusicologist, he bridges academic scholarship and cultural preservation, producing over 60 CDs of Central Asian music.
His research explores:
- Sufi musical rituals (samā') and their metaphysical foundations
- Shamanic healing practices in Baluchistan and Tajikistan
- Modal systems (Radif, Maqam) across Persian, Azeri, and Uyghur traditions
- Aesthetic evolution and cultural identity in post-Soviet Central Asia
- Cross-cultural dialogues between musical spirituality and Islamic philosophy
Publications reveal a focus on:
- Ecstatic states induced by ritual soundscapes
- Timbre as cultural epistemology
- Historical transmission of repertoires
- Impacts of modernization on oral traditions
Jean During maintains active scholarly engagement through international conferences, CD productions preserving endangered traditions (e.g., Baluchi epic, Uzbek spiritual chants), and collaborations with institutions like the Mahoor Institute in Tehran. Contact: jeanduring@yahoo.com.
