Exploring Music in a Globalized World

01/2017 Exploring Music in a Globalized World Introduction by Andrea Hollington, Tijo Salverda, Sinah Kloß, Nina Schneider, Oliver Tappe Beyond the simple fact that many people enjoy music, as a social act music is also related to a wide range of emotions, associations, politics, and identifications that draw people to making, playing, and listening to music. Below the surface, in other words, music is shaped by, and shapes, a very broad range of social phenomena. In this issue of Voices from Around the World, a number of contributors explore interactions between music and various social phenomena in more detail. They share with us their thoughts on the social and cultural importance of music in our globalized world. Although music is too wide a topic to discuss all its relevant aspects in this issue, the different contributions illustrate, among other things, the variety of perspectives on and of music practices, how music is lived and experienced in a range of settings, and why music has such an important role in the lives of many around the world. Music is often not only individually experienced but is also a powerful social activity. It has many purposes and functions, and can evoke strong feelings of joy, sadness, or nostalgia. In many instances, both in globalized/transnational spaces and specific localized contexts, music also plays a crucial role in cultural practices such as ceremonies and rituals; Katarzyna I. Wojtylak’s interesting account of the Murui of Northwest Ama- zonia demonstrates this, for example. Moreover, music can reinforce a sense of belonging, which, as plenty of examples demonstrate, may even transcend boundaries and cross continents. Yet apart from shaping processes of global entanglement and connection, music can also serve as a marker of exclusiveness and distinction. In either case, though, a crucial factor in understanding the relevance of music in peoples’ lives is the concept of “feeling”. The intangibility and elusiveness of “feeling”, nevertheless, is also a great challenge for musicians and those who study music, as David Aarons demonstrates in his contribution. As a matter of fact, many past and contemporary examples illustrate that the positions of musicians and their listeners are often very ambiguous. While many people love to hear and listen to music, musicians (and their listeners/ fans) often also occupy a liminal position in society. Exploring Music in a Globalized World - Voices from around the world Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne, Germany - http://voices.uni-koeln.de The liminal position of musicians, as well as the fact that many people are drawn to the power of music, is also reflected in music’s contribution to bringing about social change, for instance by challenging authorities or established “truths”, or by expressing issues that are yet to become widely considered. There are countless examples that show how music has been an expression and essential part of the protests of various political and social movements or subcultures. Sometimes musicians and their listeners mark(ed) the arrival of a new generation and/or challenge(d) dominant customs, this often leading to worries among the authorities, such as in the case of rock and roll. In other instances, the target of opposition is more explicitly political. For example, Pink Floyd’s song Another Brick in the Wall became a popular anthem of protest against, and a critique of, the British educational system, while the current revival of punk rock may also relate to increasing concerns about geopolitical instability, inequality, and the future of our planet –even though it is argued that punk will not regain the position it had as protest music as in its heyday. Music, in such cases, may be part of the aim of promoting structural change. Also, in the case of Bob Marley, and reggae more generally, music was part and parcel of the hope of underminig the position of dominant forces, such as the imperial state. In his song Zimbabwe, for example, Marley targeted the white minority regime in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). Yet even in the case of music genres that are associated with resistance and revolution, such as Reggae and Hip Hop, this is often not a static condition. Over time, genres may transform (or diversify) from being explicitly political to more mainstream and/or focusing on mundane issues rather than the revolutionary potential of their listeners. When we go back in time, however, many music genres and styles at one point (in time) or another challenged social realities and propagated change, as Attali (1985) demonstrates – even music styles associated with established groups, such as classical music, often have a history of challenging social realities. But also in the music industry itself, one often sees competing interests. These may not necessarily be -ex pressed in the songs, such as in protest songs mentioned above, but the struggles may nevertheless be apparent. Especially due to the commercial realities of music production, consumption and distribution, singers, record companies, listeners, etc. are involved in an almost constant struggle about the costs and distribution of gains – see also an interesting contribution on the Focaalblog about the link between music and capitalism. There are many examples of singers abandoning their record companies. The arrival of new technical possibilities also often leads to the challenging of existing power balances, such as the Internet has clearly shown. The usual suspects in the form of powerful record companies can now more easily be circum- vented, a fact which forms part of the subject matter of Sylvie St-Jacques’ contribution about cutting out the middlemen. In this regard, apart from the illegal downloading of music of renowned (and often already wealthy) musicians, moreover, a particularly interesting aspect of the World Wide Web is that it allows in- dependent and beginning artists to spread their music across the world – via, for example,SoundCloud . The physical reality of geographical distance has been collapsed and nowadays we can as easily listen to African hip hop as to a band three blocks down the road. Contributions Ranging from the Caribbean to, among other destinations, the southern tip of the African continent and In- dia, the contributions in this issue provide a fresh amalgam of perspectives on music address. They explore numerous relevant questions aimed at a better understanding of the role of music around the world, such as what role music plays in the lives of people, and how music transcends boundaries and forms connections. David Aarons’ contribution Feeling Reggae In Ethiopia, for example, describes music in a transnational con- tact scenario, namely that of repatriated Rastafari who play Reggae music together with Ethiopian musicians in Ethiopia. By drawing on the elusive but important concept of “feeling”, the author illustrates the processes of musical cooperation and learning in a band that comprises members of different cultural backgrounds, but also addresses the challenges that they face. As Aarons argues, it is not only through the music practices themselves but also through bodily experiences and movements, as well as through personal descriptions and specific “vocabulary”, that musicians get to understand the other’s “feel” of the music, and that ex- Exploring Music in a Globalized World - Voices from around the world Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne, Germany - http://voices.uni-koeln.de change processes and mutual learning become possible. The Zimbabwean-born and German-based singer and musician Zuluman discusses social issues of music in his contribution which also includes a short acoustic performance of his song Vanity. In his interview, the artist shares his opinion on the role of music in life, which he describes as crucial, especially with a focus on African societies. Coming from Africa, he explains how music is an important part of everyday life, and also of specific actions or phenomena that change society. In the final part of the interview, Zuluman criticizes the term “world music”, which is a wide category and a “catch-all term” into which his music, as a Reggae musician with a Zimbabwean background, is often classified. He argues that the term does not do justice to the musical diversity in the Global South and that it would be better to refer to music genres and styles with the terms that are used by the actual creators of the music. Katarzyna I. Wojtylak introduces some of the music practices of the Murui of northwestern Amazonia and describes their music from an emic perspective in the context of Murui ritual discourse. By using the peoples’ own genres and terms, the contribution illustrates the complexity of Murui music practices within their cultural contexts. In a documentation project that especially involves film making, the Murui themselves tell their stories and document their cultural practices, music, and language. This multimodal contribution, which includes songs, pictures, and a video, involves the Murui’s own perspectives in a presentation of their music in their own way. In a piece that was initially published on the Focaalblog, Rajalakshmi Nadadur Kannan demonstrates that a genre that was originally a form of “religious” music, deemed to be “divinely inspired,” could actually transform over time. Though still close to its religious and divine origins, during British rule of India Karnatic music functioned as a means of resistance against the colonial

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