My own work on musical competence and interaction will offer an important alternative perspective as it enables the consideration of the relationships between social conditions and the constitution, differentiation, and transmission of musical knowledge, between social and musical interactions. Other themes will include questions of identity and ownership. These involve concepts of tradition and innovation, typical attitudes towards these phenomena, pressures to preserve uniqueness and pressures to assimilate. These themes will be considered for each group whenever possible and conflicting opinions will be voiced, where relevant, to avoid monolithic or essentialized conceptions of culture.
Music is also a means for assimilation or rejecting the past.
Musical pieces and performances are often a locus of tremendously emotional contestation over ownership and authenticity. Through reading and listening assignments, autobiographies, interviews of classmates and small field projects students will learn to analyze the terms of these debates as socio-cultural constructions rather than universal truths. I hope to convey the explanatory power and limitations of this concept. The reading list still needs additions and revisions. The materials for the course include recordings, various reading assignments, and documentary films.