The Story
The diverse musics of the Caribbean form a vital part of the identity of individual island nations and their diasporic communities. At the same time, they witness to collective continuities and the interrelatedness that underlies the region's multi-layered complexity. This Companion introduces familiar and less familiar music practices from different nations, from reggae, calypso and salsa to tambĂș, mĂ©ringue and soca. Its multidisciplinary, thematic approach reveals how the music was shaped by strategies of resistance and accommodation during the colonial past and how it has developed in the postcolonial present. The book encourages a comparative and syncretic approach to studying the Caribbean, one that acknowledges its patchwork of fragmented, dynamic, plural and fluid differences. It is an innovative resource for scholars and students of Caribbean musical culture, particularly those seeking a decolonising perspective on the subject.
- Opens up new ways approaching Caribbean music as part of more inclusive university curricula, responding to the call for decolonization of scholarship
- Introduces the reader to the distinctive music of different Caribbean islands, while tracing themes such as race, identity and cultural memory that are shared across this complex region
- Contributions from linguists, anthropologists and literary scholars as well as ethnomusicologists and music educators provide rich inter-disciplinary perspectives
Description
The diverse musics of the Caribbean form a vital part of the identity of individual island nations and their diasporic communities. At the same time, they witness to collective continuities and the interrelatedness that underlies the region's multi-layered complexity. This Companion introduces familiar and less familiar music practices from different nations, from reggae, calypso and salsa to tambĂș, mĂ©ringue and soca. Its multidisciplinary, thematic approach reveals how the music was shaped by strategies of resistance and accommodation during the colonial past and how it has developed in the postcolonial present. The book encourages a comparative and syncretic approach to studying the Caribbean, one that acknowledges its patchwork of fragmented, dynamic, plural and fluid differences. It is an innovative resource for scholars and students of Caribbean musical culture, particularly those seeking a decolonising perspective on the subject.
- Opens up new ways approaching Caribbean music as part of more inclusive university curricula, responding to the call for decolonization of scholarship
- Introduces the reader to the distinctive music of different Caribbean islands, while tracing themes such as race, identity and cultural memory that are shared across this complex region
- Contributions from linguists, anthropologists and literary scholars as well as ethnomusicologists and music educators provide rich inter-disciplinary perspectives
