Ethnomusicology and Sociology: A Letter to Charles Seeger

Becker, Howard S.

doi:10.2307/924398

Cited by 31 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…As I have suggested, there are some fundamental theoretical problems with this sort of analysis, and I have discussed these elsewhere (Martin 1995 p. 160ff ). At present what I wish to suggest, as an extension of the points made above, and Becker's (1989) distinction between the 'old' and the 'new' sociologies of art, is that the things which are taken to constitute the 'social environment' -such things as 'societies', 'social classes', musical 'styles', and so on -are not structured entities 'out there', so to speak, whose relationships can be unambiguously defined by the analyst. Rather, they are to be conceived as phenomena whose reality is constructed -and whose existence is normally taken for granted -through collaborative social interaction in specific situations.…”

Section: Social Constructionismmentioning

confidence: 61%

Music and the sociological gaze

Martin¹

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Social Constructionismmentioning

confidence: 61%

Music and the sociological gaze

Martin¹

2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The production of popular music is an organised activity involving a collective action or joint effort by several people (Becker, 1989;Martin, 2006).…”

Section: Inspirations For the Production Of Popular Music In Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Youth Music Production and Consumption in Africa

Akinwale¹

2018

kult-ur

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In view of the need to promote perspectives that move beyond the familiar narratives of social problems among young people, this article examines their contribution to the production and consumption of popular music in Africa. The data used for this article were taken from a systematic review of the relevant literature and insights from theories such as structuration, Afrikology, diffusion of innovation and planned behaviour. These theories were synthesised for a better understanding of the role young people play in the production and consumption of popular music in Africa. The findings revealed that many youths have contributed significantly to the production of popular music in Africa, while some have also encouraged its consumption by developing entrepreneurship in the music industry in Africa. In conclusion, music production has become a viable source of survival for many youths, as well as a reliable means of entertainment for individuals and corporate organisations in Africa. By examining several cases of music production and consumption across Africa, this article establishes a cross-cultural conversation about the visibility and significance of youths in the production and consumption of popular music in Africa. This shows that policymakers and other stakeholders in youth development can encourage youth people to explore entrepreneurial opportunities in the music industry as a catalyst for sustainable development in Africa.

show abstract

“…A second implication of the Chicago tradition is that music‐making, like all organized human activities, is viewed as “collective action” (Becker 1974) or, as he simply put it, “as the result of what a lot of people have done jointly” (Becker 1989: 282). Behind this deceptively simple truism, however, lies a fundamental theoretical commitment to the proposition that the social world is continuously produced, enacted, and reproduced through the collaborative interaction of individual human beings and that “societies,” “social structures,” “social classes,” “institutions,” and other such collective entities must be understood as the outcome, not the cause, of such collaborative interaction (Morrione 2004:xiv–xvi).…”

Section: The “Art Worlds” Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Musicians' Worlds: Music‐Making as a Collaborative Activity

Martin

2006

Symbolic Interaction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The term "popular music" encompasses a huge range and variety of styles. This article reasons that the adoption of a sociological approach, and in particular Becker's "art worlds" perspective, brings some analytic clarity and methodological rigor to studies of musicians' work in an otherwise diverse array of styles and contexts. An empirical focus on "musicians' worlds" can produce not only systematic descriptions of their organizational features but, by examining occupational problems and responses to them, can generate explanations of salient aspects of musicians' cultures. These points are developed in a brief consideration of three studies of musicians active in different styles, times, and places. It is concluded that, despite their apparent contrasts, an art worlds perspective can reveal the "generic social processes" underlying musicians' practices in these diverse settings.

show abstract

Ethnomusicology and Sociology: A Letter to Charles Seeger

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Music and the sociological gaze

Music and the sociological gaze

Youth Music Production and Consumption in Africa

Musicians' Worlds: Music‐Making as a Collaborative Activity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About