Shifting Voices and Changing Cultural Identities: Threats and Effects of Dominant Authorities on Newfoundland Traditional Folk Music 1910-1965

Abstract

Newfoundland and Labrador is a province with a rich cultural history exemplified by its vibrant folk music. From 1910 to 1965 Newfoundland experienced a folk revival that emphasized the cultivation, appreciation, and study of its folk culture. 1 1 The folk revival movement represented a variety of students, musicians, academics, politicians and social activists groups who researched, popularized and reinterpreted folk music of North America from the 1940s through the 1970s. The Canadian Folk Revival movement was a British initiative which sought to strengthen Canadian imperialism through the intense awareness of Canadian national identity. Areas which were considered to be the most 'British,' mainly the Canadian maritimes, became hotspots for research. In terms of popular media, folk music collectors were sources of inspiration for young Canadian and American musicians such as Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, etc. These musicians popularized the movement and in turn integrated traditional folk music into mass media and popular culture.