Haitian communities in Central Ohio have grown by leaps and bounds in the last several years, as migrants entering the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS, known colloquially as pwogram Bidèn nan - the Biden program) join Haitians from states like Florida and New York in the search for plentiful jobs, affordable housing, but, above all, safety for their families (Hulsey 2023, Orozco 2023). Such growth led to tensions in cities like Springfield, where racist rumors parroted by politicians and pundits in the past election cycle made it a focal point for anti-immigrant hatred, now translated into official policy in the second Trump presidency. The songs and hymns of Haitian Protestantism, an under-researched but increasingly influential expression of Haitian religiosity both in Haiti and the diaspora, speak to this present moment. They echo a collective trauma born of decades of insecurity and upheaval coupled with a firm belief that God has delivered them before and will do it again: Bondye fè l, “God did it,” one popular worship song proclaims (Louis 2015). In this paper, I will explore this music as a site of remembering and source of resilience in uncertain times. As they sing these songs, believers recount the struggles of the past while also claiming supernatural help for their future.

This paper examines how Maizbhandari spiritual songs from the Chittagong region of Bangladesh advocate for the rights of Adivasi communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts through thematic emphases on land restitution, eco-centric values, and collective resistance. Originating in the late nineteenth century through the music of Syed Ahmadullah (1826-1906) in the village of Maizbhandar, this tradition has evolved from local Sufi-oriented devotion into a subversive cultural form addressing broader socio-political injustices. Drawing on Hans Harder (2011), Abdur Sazzad Khan (2013), and Faridur Rahman (2022), I argue that these mystic compositions effectively champion Indigenous causes by foregrounding forced displacement, ecological destruction, and the need for inter-communal unity. In celebrating the eco-centric philosophies shared by Adivasi and local communities, these songs promote intercommunal solidarity and a vision of inclusive collective resistance. Despite their ostensibly devotional nature, coded references to sacred geographies and communal harmony transform Maizbhandari performances into arenas of political discourse, urging collective action against oppressive state apparatuses. This study employs ethnography, textual analysis, archival resources, and performance studies to situate Maizbhandari songs within a broader context of ongoing grassroots activism, dynamic spiritual unity, and postcolonial critique, underscoring the interplay between religion and politics. Its findings reveal that Maizbhandari spiritual music can serve as a galvanizing force for social justice, echoing the aspirations of historically marginalized groups. This exploration underscores the transformative power of folk spiritual practices to articulate communal identity, foster Adivasi resistance, and broaden music’s capacity to enhance eco-centric values and shape complex socio-political realities in Bangladesh.

Jbǝl l-ʿAlam, the shrine of 13^th-century Sufi walī (saint) Moulay Abdeslam in northwest Morocco, is both a sacred and cultural touchstone for the Jebala people native to this region. More than a pilgrimage site, it is a locus of collective memory, wherein devotional music serves as a dynamic vehicle for preserving and reinterpreting the saint’s legacy, fostering communal participation and shaping spiritual experiences through sound.

In this paper, I argue that Jebli music operates as a lieu de mémoire, continuously renewing and reinforcing the presence of Moulay Abdeslam in the Jebala identity. Through a process I term Resonant Reverence, music becomes an active force in shaping cultural memory--blending improvisation, affective engagement, and embodied practice to sustain a living connection between past and present for its practitioners and listeners.

To illustrate this premise, I analyze song lyrics, historical texts, and ethnographic observations to reveal how this music encodes themes of sacrality, pilgrimage, unity, and affect. In doing so, it articulates shared histories and reinforces social bonds within the Jebala community, while ensuring the saint’s enduring relevance across generations.

By examining the praxis of Jebli music through the lens of Resonant Reverence, my research highlights the interplay of memory, identity, and resistance in the enmeshed arena of Moroccan sacred and popular music traditions. More broadly, this study ultimately shows how marginalized communities mobilize indigenous music as a counter-narrative to cultural erasure, asserting their agency through sound and devotion while negotiating the boundaries between the sacred and the secular.

Sufi music and practice are central to daily life in Senegal, where 90 percent practice Sufism. Senegalese Sufi identity extends globally in various ways, such as students studying abroad or emigrants maintaining ties to kith and kin through social networks and remittances to families, communities, and religious orders. Senegalese artists also amplify Sufism through their work by incorporating Sufi practices, sharing narratives of miracles, praising leaders in performances, referencing Islamic theology, and naming sacred sites. Mbalax, Senegal's most popular urban dance music, plays a major role in this production and reproduction of Sufism in mainstream culture, creating what I call "sonic Sufism."

This paper argues that "sonic Sufism" in mbalax plays a crucial role in creating and sustaining a Senegalese Sufi cosmopolitan identity. It does so by incorporating Sufi themes, practices, theology, and praise into an urban dance music rooted in Afrodiasporic urban popular and dance music such as jazz, R&B, and salsa. Through ethnographic observations and analysis of Blackness and Sufism in mbalax performances, the paper demonstrates how popular music serves as a medium for expressing an alternative means of Sufi devotion. I examine how musicians and audiences engage with Sufi elements in mbalax performances and everyday life, highlighting mbalax’s ability to foster a sense of cultural citizenship where Blackness, Wolofness, and Sufism intersect.