Musings on ethnomusicology, interdisciplinarity, intradisciplinarity, and decoloniality

Abstract

Thinking from the perspective of Croatian ethnomusicology as one of ethnomusicologies "at home", the author muses on the position of ethnomusicology on a global scale, and in particular how it relates to mainstream English-language ethnomusicology and other fringe ethnomusicologies, the interdisciplinary links with sister disciplines (primarily ethnology and cultural anthropology), and endeavours to decolonize ethnomusicology. By taking into account the issue of reciprocity (or the lack thereof) between various disciplines and the linguocentric predicament of (ethno)musicological studies, she argues that more intellectual effort than is being currently exerted should be invested into engaged comparison of one's own fieldwork, analytical processes and research outcomes with cross-cultural ethnomusicological literature and literature in other disciplines of music studies. Related to this is her suggestion to take the issue of decoloniality seriously. Therefore, instead of mere celebration of different ethnomusicologies, she proposes a combination of "bi-ethnomusicologicality" and "going pidgin" ethnomusicology as means for making ethnomusicology a more relevant discipline on a global scale.