Music, Longing and Belonging : Articulations of the Self and the Other in the Musical Realm

With contributions from musicologists, historians, sociologists, anthropologists and literary scholars, this book provides an interdisciplinary perspective on how different modes of musical sociability – ranging from opera performances to collective singing and internet fan communities – inspire “imagined communities” that not only transcend national borders, but also challenge the boundaries between the self and the other. While the relationship between music and nationhood has been widely researched, few comparative and transnational studies on music and identity exist. The main focus of this volume, therefore, is on forms of musical belonging not bound by national identity, which take place in contexts of appropriation and displacement. The essays collected here address different modes of musical self-expression through the art of others and frame music as a unique medium of desire, which not only channels the experience of belonging during times of social and political upheaval, but also induces its opposite – non-belonging, detachment and dissent. With Contributions From Musicologists, Historians, Sociologists, Anthropologists And Literary Scholars, This Book Provides An Interdisciplinary Perspective On How Different Modes Of Musical Socialability - Ranging From Opera Performances To Collective Singing And Internet Fan Communities - Inspire Imagined Communities That Not Only Transcend National Borders, But Also Challenge The Boundaries Between The Self And The Other. While The Relationship Between Music And Nationhood Has Been Widely Researched, Few Comparative And Transnational Studies On Music And Identity Exist. Introduction. Music And The Boundaries Of (non)belonging / Magdalena Waligórska -- Sing With Us, Spend Like Us! : Images Of Consumption In East European Musical Films During The Cold War / Oksana Sarkisova -- Performing Cosmopolitanism : Gogol Bordello And The Global Underdogs / Ana Sobral -- The North As The Self And The Other : Scandinavian Composers' Symphonies In German Concert Halls Around 1900 / Katharine Leiska -- Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus And The Aesthetics Of Pan-africanism / Mario Dunkel -- The Mediterranean Style : From Pan-semitism To Israeli Nationalism / Tal Soker -- Between The Jigs And The Reels (in Cyberspace) : Investigating An Irish Traditional Music Online Community / Ailbhe Kenny -- Opera As Social Agent : Fostering Italian Identity At The Metropolitan Opera House During The Early Years Of Giulio Gatti-casazza's Management (1908-1910) / Davide Ceriani -- Manuel M. Ponce's Canciones In New York : Mexican Musical Identity And The Mexico Vogue / Christina Taylor Gibson -- Longing For Belonging In Forced Migration : Musical Recollections Of Germans From The Bohemian Lands / Ulrike Präger -- Ya L'babour, Ya Mon Amour : Raï, Rap And The Desire To Escape / Heidrun Friese -- As It Echoes South And North : Girls And Boys Singing Identity Into The National Landscape / Josephine Hoegaerts. Edited By Magdalena Waligórska. Includes Bibliographical References.