Hannah's question: In Shelemay’s article “Ethnomusicologist, Ethnographic Method, and the Transmission of Tradition,” she discusses the ethnomusicologist's role in the transmission of tradition. How does an ethnomusicologist’s role in this differ depending on the situation and type of fieldwork they are doing? Does it make a difference if they are doing fieldwork “at home?”
We've looked at this question in a variety of contexts in this class so far, and the answers have sometimes been different depending on the specific case study. I'd like to synthesize these answers somewhat while trying to develop a more generalized theory of the ethics behind an ethnomusicologist's role in the transmission of tradition.
As we've discussed in depth, the word "tradition" itself is a difficult and hard-to-define term. At what point does a type of music become "traditional?" In some fields the word tradition seems to be applied as soon as something has happened more than once, such as in my own fieldwork. In other groups, such as the traditional Baroque music groups that exist, "traditional" means that they are playing works with the specific instrument types that existed at that time period, trying to reproduce the original sound as exactly as possible.
So how can tradition be "transmitted" in these different areas? What is the role of an ethnographer in this process? I see their role as differing when they're working "in the field" versus "at home." In a place foreign to them, an ethnographer has the freedom to work as an independent researcher, initially starting out without overt connections to the community. In this more old-school role, he/she has the ability to work with less fear of offending the musical community, and begins the process with fewer pre-conceived notions. Though these benefits to fieldwork exist, there are also downfalls; several of our readings have pointed out the difficulties that arise when a community is less accepting to outsiders and may hold information back or attempt to paint themselves in a different light. The ethnographer's role, here, is to transmit as much knowledge about the community to the rest of the world; they have fewer social and moral obligations to the community. However, I am a fan of Shelemay's interactions with the community she was studying; eventually, she was able to impart knowledge to them about their own musical tradition.
At home, the ethnomusicologist may have a greater ability to tease out information about complex emotions and relationships, as he/she already has a basic knowledge of the group being studied. However, this basic knowledge can be a burden as well; in some cases this "knowledge" is more of a set of stereotypes than anything else. As a researcher who is also a part of the community he/she is studying, the ethnographer in this context has much more responsibility to give back to the community, be it through transmission of their tradition or another form of social service.
So, how are these values of the ethnomusicologist "at home" versus "in the field" changing? As we have seen from Kiri's own work as well as other readings, it is becoming harder to distinguish the two areas, which seemed so juxtaposed in the 1950s and '60s. Is a researcher looking at YouTube videos made in Singapore from the comfort of her own home "at home" or "in the field?" Does fieldwork even require participation any more? Ethnomusicology seems to be at a liminal stage in development right now, and it will be interesting to see how the field develops as we move more and more into an "internet age."
I agree with your points about tradition being hard to define. We have discussed in class how tradition can be viewed as a process that happens over time, and so I feel it is important to look at the ethnomusicologist as playing a role in this process as opposed to influencing what music is considered to be “traditional.”
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ethnographer has few moral and social obligations to the culture that they are studying. However, I feel that the fact that the fact that they are spreading knowledge about the music’s culture may have some effect on the tradition itself.
It seems to me that there is a fine line between being an ethnomusicologist “at home” and actually being a part of the musical community of the music you are studying before you begin studying it. I feel that in the latter case, the ethnomusicologist has more of an obligation to play a more significant role in the transmission of tradition since they were a part of the music before studying it in an ethnographic setting.
You brought up a good point about the fieldwork in the online spectrum. I’m very curious as to what your thoughts are on what an ethnomusicologists role is when doing fieldwork in this area. It always seems to me, although not necessarily true, that an ethnomusicologist is less distinct from other members in an online community than in a non-online community. Since these communities are generally open to anyone, and are generally very large, it seems like an ethnomusicologist will not have a very noticeable influence anyway.
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteThat's true that if the ethnographer is spreading knowledge about a musical culture, it could affect the tradition. I guess it all boils down to, as you say, the idea of tradition as a static object or as a process.
When it comes to an online community, I agree that there's less distinction between an ethnomusicologist and another member. Some of that is probably due to the "lurker" phenomenon, where people read messages but don't actively participate; however, what happens if the ethnomusicologist does begin to participate? And what defines participation from research? I feel as though the researcher needs to pick what role he/she would like to inhabit before beginning research, as any participation will be affecting the community, at least in a small way. I suppose I'm conflicted here because, as a scientist, I have a tough time with the idea of research without a control, since a control clearly can't exist in this situation. I still feel as though in most cases, an ethnomusicologist researching an online community should refrain from participating except when asking questions to draw out people's opinions.