Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy

by David G. Hebert (Editor), Jonathan McCollum (Editor), David G. Hebert (Contribution by), Jonathan McCollum (Contribution by), Rhoda Abiolu (Contribution by)

Overview

Music has long played a prominent role in cultural diplomacy, but until now no resource has comparatively examined policies that shape how non-western countries use music for international relations. Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy, edited by scholars David G. Hebert and Jonathan McCollum, demonstrates music's role in international relations worldwide. Specifically, this book offers "insider" views from expert contributors writing about music as a part of cultural diplomacy initiatives in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Syria, Japan, China, India, Vietnam, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Nigeria. Unique features include the book’s emphasis on diverse legal frameworks, decolonial perspectives, and cultural policies that serve as a basis for how nations outside “the west” use music in their relationships with Europe and North America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781793642936
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	01/25/2024
Series:	The Lexington Series in Historical Ethnomusicology: Deep Soundings
Pages:	372
Product dimensions:	5.79(w) x 9.01(h) x 1.08(d)

About the Author

David G. Hebert is professor of music at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences.

Jonathan McCollum is professor of music at Washington College.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface: Why this Topic and these Authors

David G. Hebert

Part I: Introduction to Music and Cultural Diplomacy

Chapter One: Introduction: Ethnomusicology as a Resource for Cultural Diplomacy

David G. Hebert

Chapter Two: International Soft Law and the Promotion of Musical Rights

Marja Heimonen and David G. Hebert

Part II: Middle Eastern Perspectives

Chapter Three: “A Very Beautiful Image of Afghanistan”: Cultural Diplomacy through Music Education and Performance

Lauren Braithwaite

Chapter Four: Music Festivals and Cultural Diplomacy in Uzbekistan

Elnora Mamadjanova and David G. Hebert

Chapter Five: Sufi Voices: Music as a Unifying Pathway toward the Divine

Chaden Yafi

Chapter Six: Soft War and Multilateral Musical Pathways in Iran

Nasim Niknafs

PART III: East Asian Views

Chapter Seven: Cultural Diplomacy in Collaborative Artistic Projects between China and Europe

Marianne Løkke Jakobsen and David G. Hebert

Chapter Eight: A Gap in Cultural Policy: Non-Japanese Experiences of Learning Japanese Music

Koji Matsunobu

Chapter Nine: Cultural Diplomacy and Transculturation through the History of Vọng Cổ in Vietnam

Nguyễn Thanh Thủy and Stefan Östersjö

PART IV: African Insights

Chapter Ten: Cultural Policies and Music Production Across Ethiopian Regimes: A Historical Study

Abraha Weldu and Jan Magne Steinhovden

Chapter Eleven: Musical Activism from South Africa: The “Soft Power” of Cultural Diplomacy

Ambigay Yudkoff

Chapter Twelve: Intercultural Relations in Church Music of Nigeria and South Africa

Rhoda Abiolu

PART V: Legal Perspectives from Asia

Chapter Thirteen: Cultural Heritage and Music Diplomacy: The Legal Framework in India

Karan Choudhary

Chapter Fourteen: China’s Legal Framework Supporting Protection and Sustainability of Artistic Heritage

Juqian Li

Part VI: Conclusion: Rethinking Music Heritage and Cultural Diplomacy

Chapter Fifteen: Toward Global Models and Benchmarks for Music Diplomacy

David G. Hebert and Jonathan McCollum

Editorial Reviews

Cultural diplomacy in music presentation and performance is very much an emerging concern among both musicians and musicologists. Musicians are actively re-evaluating their practices, but also their rights and their obligations as custodians of both old and new music. How are they are used as diplomats to promote corporations and nation states? How do they work across borders, how do they mix at global festivals, and how do they negotiate their place within and across cultures? Musicologists and ethnomusicologists are struggling to decolonize their academic discourse, but how can they break Western cultural hegemony, in order to practice diplomacy, to listen to and value diverse voices from around the world? Innovative and impressive, Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy sets out to answer these questions by bringing together different voices and different perspectives. The book's contributors come from inside and outside the West, and often challenge previous writing. The book contains overviews and discussions of copyright and "soft power," but will be most valuable for its up-to-date, closely focused ethnographies that range from Nigeria and South Africa to Ethiopia, from China and Japan to Vietnam, from India and Afghanistan to Iran, and from Uzbekistan to Norway.

This rich and varied collection highlights the subtle but powerful role that music plays in making the world a more hospitable place. The wide-ranging chapters, all written by experts and activists, deal with specific places and processes and enrich our understanding of how cultural exchange and learning happen and come to be transpired. A must read for ethnomusicology and for anyone with an interest in the role of culture in our complex world today.

From the Publisher

This rich and varied collection highlights the subtle but powerful role that music plays in making the world a more hospitable place. The wide-ranging chapters, all written by experts and activists, deal with specific places and processes and enrich our understanding of how cultural exchange and learning happen and come to be transpired. A must read for ethnomusicology and for anyone with an interest in the role of culture in our complex world today.

Tia DeNora

Cultural diplomacy in music presentation and performance is very much an emerging concern among both musicians and musicologists. Musicians are actively re-evaluating their practices, but also their rights and their obligations as custodians of both old and new music. How are they are used as diplomats to promote corporations and nation states? How do they work across borders, how do they mix at global festivals, and how do they negotiate their place within and across cultures? Musicologists and ethnomusicologists are struggling to decolonize their academic discourse, but how can they break Western cultural hegemony, in order to practice diplomacy, to listen to and value diverse voices from around the world? Innovative and impressive, Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy sets out to answer these questions by bringing together different voices and different perspectives. The book’s contributors come from inside and outside the West, and often challenge previous writing. The book contains overviews and discussions of copyright and “soft power,” but will be most valuable for its up-to-date, closely focused ethnographies that range from Nigeria and South Africa to Ethiopia, from China and Japan to Vietnam, from India and Afghanistan to Iran, and from Uzbekistan to Norway.

Keith Howard