The ethics of ethnomusicology in a cosmopolitan age

Abstract

This chapter presents a broad discussion of ethical discourses and practices in the study of world music by ethnomusicologists.ii In recent ethnomusicological literature, the term "cosmopolitan"has been invoked to refer to "cultural formations that are … always simultaneously local and translocal." (Turino 2000, 7).iii In the present chapter I give attention to ethical issues surrounding the study of music in an increasingly cosmopolitan age, one in which both people and the music they transmit are simultaneously local and translocal. Ethnomusicological engagement with musics in a cosmopolitan age has transposed longstanding ethical issues into increasingly complex contexts as well as raised new considerations altogether.Philosopher K. Anthony Appiah has proposed that two moral strands intertwine in the notion of cosmopolitanism:One is the idea that we have obligations to others, obligations that stretch beyond those to whom we are related by the ties of kith and kind, or even the more formal ties of a shared citizenship. The other is that we take seriously the value not just of human life but of particular human lives, which means taking an interest in the practices and beliefs that lend them significance. People are different, the cosmopolitan knows, and there is much to learn from our differences … There will be times when these two ideals -universal concern and respect for legitimate difference -clash. There's a sense in which cosmopolitanism is the name not of the solution but of the challenge. (Appiah 2006, xv) Shelemay -The Ethics of Ethnomusicology 2In the chapter that follows, I wish both to acknowledge the challenge of formulating ethical values in a cosmopolitan world, and to set forth some of the dilemmas that arise as research in cosmopolitan settings proliferates. In the first section I briefly situate ethics in ethnomusicology within a broader framework of philosophical thought and commentary. Next, I trace the history of discourses about ethics within ethnomusicology, addressing issues within the study and pedagogy of world music that either have been or could be the subject of ethical concern. In the third section, I address the growing move in ethnomusicology and sister fields of scholarship into domains of activism and advocacy. In the conclusion, I explore ways in which each individual can articulate ethical codes congruent with his or her research and personal commitments. At the same time, however, I suggest that individual ethics must be anchored by a community of scholars working together to direct attention to positive moral outcomes in ethnographic practices, publications, pedagogy, and activism. At points throughout the chapter I adopt a more reflexive tone, chronicling ways in which my own ethical concerns have both been shaped and transformed over time and within the landscape of different projects. Ethical frameworks and musical scholarshipWhat are ethics and how do they relate to ethnomusicology's study of music traditions around the world? Ethics, incorporated within the field of ...

Festivals and Youth: An Educational Cultural Route to Festivals

“…Additionally, applied research has created musical routes themed around historical periods, such as the Renaissance, ethnic and geographical elements like the African diaspora in Europe [9], and specific instruments [10]. Musical routes contribute to the construction of cultural identities and cross-cultural dialogues and encompass not only physical journeys, but also the migration of musical traditions and their adaptation in new cultural contexts, enriching the global soundscape and fostering intercultural understanding [11,12]; music's role in everyday life reinforces the idea that musical routes extend beyond physical journeys, serving as a medium through which individuals construct their social worlds and identities [13].…”