TAQSIM

  by Dr. Raja Zulkarnain I’m pleased to share that my fifth journal article for 2025, “The Institutionalization of Oud Pedagogy in Malaysia: An Autoethnographic Study of Pioneering, Repertoire, and Educational Transformation,” will be published online on 30 October 2025.  This paper documents the two-decade journey of introducing, structuring, and consolidating oud (or gambus ) pedagogy within Malaysian higher education. It examines how traditional maqām -based learning was recontextualized into a modern academic framework, balancing institutional formality with the preservation of aesthetic, cultural, and spiritual depth. Why This Article Matters At its core, this study is both a personal chronicle and a pedagogical framework. It proposes how a musical tradition can be institutionalized without being neutralized, retaining its artistic and cultural essence while meeting academic standards.  It highlights three essential components of successful institutionalization: ...