Volume 52, Number 2 Spring 2018 Colorado-based Paola Ines y Norte-Sur performing “Gracias a la vida.” Ethno Nights at the Mercury Cafe, SEM 2017 Annual Meeting. Photo: Sarah Morelli. Implementation of SEM 2017–2022 Strategic Plan SEM has begun implementation of its 2017–2022 who offered advice over the past two years. At present, Strategic Plan, which includes a wide-ranging agenda the Society is developing specific initiatives in pursuit for expanding the capacity of the Society as a medium of the major goals of the plan and will offer a progress for dialogue, a resource for members and the general report to the membership at the 2018 Annual Meeting public, and an agent for change in today’s world. The in Albuquerque. The plan’s various goals suggest many Society thanks the many contributors to this plan, opportunities for new projects. Please address any including the Strategic Planning Committee, (Andrew communications to Gregory Barz (SEM President) at Weintraub – Chair, Gage Averill, Virginia Danielson, [email protected] and Stephen Stuempfle Joanna Bosse, Maria Mendonça, Michael Birenbaum (SEM Executive Director) at [email protected]. Quintero, and Sylvia Nannyonga Tamusuza); the Board; the Council; and other groups and individuals Read the 2017–2022 Strategic Plan Features Announcements News Our Back Pages President’s Column New Moderator of SEM-L AIIS Fellowship Competition SEM Publications 2017–2022 Strategic Plan Two Draft Statements Member News Conference Calendar Forum: The Lure of Universals Ethics Statement Institutional News Advertisements Commentary: Need for a Public- IRB Statement Internet Resources Facing Journal The Society for Ethnomusicology, SEM Newsletter James Cowdery, Editor, SEM Newsletter SEM Membership RILM, CUNY Graduate Center The object of the Society for Ethnomusicology is the ad- 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016 vancement of research and study in the field of ethnomu- [email protected] sicology, for which purpose all interested persons, regard- less of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, SEM Newsletter is a vehicle for the exchange of ideas, or physical ability are encouraged to become members. news, and information among the Society’s members. Its aims include serving the membership and Society at Readers’ contributions are welcome and should be sent to large through the dissemination of knowledge concerning the editor. the music of the world’s peoples. The Society, incorporat- ed in the United States, has an international membership. The Society for Ethnomusicology publishes the SEM Newsletter four times annually in January, April, July, and Members receive free copies of the journal and the September, and distributes issues free to members of the newsletter and have the right to vote and participate in the Society. activities of the Society. _______________ Back issues, 1981 to present [volumes 14-18 (1981- Student (full-time only) (one year) ................................$40 1984), 3 times a year; vols. 19-32 (1985-1998), 4 times a Individual (one year) year] are available and may be ordered at $2 each. Add • Income $25,000 or less ........................................... $60 $2.50/order for postage. • Income $25,000-$40,000 .........................................$75 • Income $40,000-$60,000 ......................................... $85 Address changes, orders for back issues of the SEM • Income $60,000-$80,000 ......................................... $95 Newsletter, and all other non-editorial inquires should be • Income $80,000 and above .................................. $105 sent to the Business Office, Society for Ethnomusicology, Indiana University, 800 East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN, Spouse/Partner Individual (one year) ...........................$35 47405. [email protected]. Life membership .......................................................$1400 Spouse/Partner Life ................................................. $1600 Sponsored (one year, including postage) ..................... $50 Society for Ethnomusicology Overseas postage (one year) .......................................$15 Board of Directors For institutional memberships, please visit the University Gregory Barz (President) of Illinois Press website. Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37212-3499 Anne K. Rasmussen (Past President) Guidelines for Contributors Music Department, College of William and Mary Email articles and shorter entries for consideration to the Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-8795 SEM Newsletter Editor. Michael Bakan (Secretary) Copy deadlines: Summer Issue (15 June) College of Music, Florida State University Winter Issue (15 Dec.) Fall Issue (1 Sep.) Tallahassee, FL 32306-1180 Spring Issue (15 March) Donna Lee Kwon (Treasurer) School of Music, University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506 Advertising Rates The Newsletter accepts digital files (e.g., jpg) for advertis- Judith Gray (First Vice President) ing. American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Washington, DC 20540-4610 Full page: $200 1/3 page: $60 Elizabeth Tolbert (Second Vice President) 2/3 page: $145 1/6 page: $40 Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University 1/2 page: $110 Baltimore, MD 21202 Maria Mendonca (Member-at-Large, Prizes) Ethnomusicology: Back Issues Kenyon College Ethnomusicology, the Society’s journal, is currently Gambier, OH 43022 published three times a year. Back issues are available through the SEM Business Office, Indiana University, 800 Brenda M. Romero (Member-at-Large, Groups and Pro- East 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405-3657; 812-855- fessional Development) 6672; [email protected]. University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 80309 § ISSN 0036-1291 § 2 Sounding Advocacy in Ethnomusicology Gregory Barz, SEM President And yet…the problems that attend cultural advocacy have As I put the finishing touches on this column I received long plagued the discipline. (Do we create canons with a call from SEM Executive Director Stephen Stuempfle, our advocacy? Are we deaf to other traditions for which who was busily pounding the pavement on behalf of the we do not advocate?). An interesting critique of advocacy Society, participating in National Humanities Day, spon- is raised by Adriana Helbig in her work on the interven- sored by the National Humanities Alliance. He was a bit tion of NGOs in Ukraine: “My advocacy and research out of breath as he told me about the experience has helped me understand that Senate and Congressional offices he had despite the alleged grass-roots appearanc- visited, advocating for the Humanities in es of such actions, however, the question- general and Ethnomusicology specifical- able success of such community actions ly. Advocating for the advocates! Thank is determined on many levels by Western you, Steve, for your commitment and economic and political forces” (2007:83). your passion. Sustaining advocacy efforts over time (see Impey 2002:22), identifying bias among I have noticed in the past decade con- those doing advocacy, and relying on an certed efforts to highlight aspects of what understanding of the “psychological limits” we do with the products of our research of cultural advocacy as Jeff Summit sug- in order to make our intent more visible. gests, is really a reflection of the individual In my last column I referenced the What ethnomusicologist and perhaps not reflec- is Ethnomusicology? statement on the tive of the field as a whole: “I write about SEM website, and I return to that state- personal motivation at some length ment in this column to unveil and give because I’ve found that a process of self- sound to the longstanding positionality of reflection, ideally one that cultivates humil- advocacy in our discipline. Ellen Kos- ity and problematizes the efficacy of social koff’s presidential roundtable on “SEM justice work, is a good first step for anyone and Political Activism” of 2003 was launching pad for such engaging in advocacy or direct service” (2015:204, em- thoughts for many of us. Since that time, the Society has phasis added). produced position statements that are clearly in dialogue with Koskoff’s call, and in many ways respond to Tim As I think we can all agree that our position within the Rice’s presidential column in the March 2004 Newsletter. academy as a discipline frequently needs to be revisited; our work and efforts certainly document well the shifts of In recent months I have approached ethnomusicologists acceptance regarding advocacy in our publications, our of various generations to discern the degree to which they teaching, and our public outreach. I wonder, however, if believe that advocacy is central to what we engage in our our institutional stance—the ethnomusicological identity efforts. In our Society’s recent Strategic Plan (see page 5) we project to the outside world—is always in alignment we are charged with enacting “robust advocacy” regarding with our efforts to make more transparent that which we our ability to participate in public policy making, specifical- do internally on a regular basis. In response to the direc- ly by furthering “the participation of the Society in national tive issued by our Strategic Plan, the Society is at present and international public policy debates and in projects that negotiating a memorandum of understanding with Free- advocate and advance social inclusion, conflict resolution, muse, an “independent international organisation advo- access to education, community development, intellectual cating for and defending freedom of artistic