Over the past four decades, the spectacular, "globalized" aspects of cultural circulation have received the majority of scholarly - and consumer - attention, particularly in the study of South Asian music. Ethnomusicologists increasingly cast their studies in transnational terms, in part to take account of these emerging, globally mediated forms and their localized counterparts. As a result, a broad range of community-based and other locally-focused performance traditions in the regions of South Asia have remained relatively unexplored. markets have fostered the development of an aesthetic based The authors of Theorizing the Local provide a challenging and compelling counter-perspective to the overwhelming attention paid to the "globalized," arguing for the sustained value of comparative microstudies which are not concerned primarily with the flow of capital and neoliberal politics. What does it mean, they ask, for musical activities to be local in an increasingly interconnected world? What are the motivations for theoretical thought, and how are theoretical formulations instigated by the needs of performers, agents promoting regional identity, efforts to sustain or counter gender conventions, or desires to compete? To what extent can theoretical activity be localized to the very acts of making music, interacting, and composing? intriguing-often music sharing common melodic, harmonic, or Theorizing the Local offers unusual glimpses into rich musical worlds of south and west Asia, worlds which have never before been presented in a single volume. The authors cross the traditional borders of scholarship and region, exploring in unmatched detail a vast array of musical practices and significant ethnographic discoveries extending from Nepal to India, India to Sri Lanka, Pakistan to Iran. Enriched by audio and video tracks on the extensive companion website, Theorizing the Local represents an important and necessary addition to the study of South Asian musical traditions and a broader understanding of 21st century music of the world.
Industry Reviews
"Covers a great variety of music in India and beyond and is a welcome addition to the scarce literature on this vast area." --Choice
"An impressive collection of original and rigorously scholarly essays, exhibiting much of the conceptual depth, ethnographic breadth, and theoretical sophistication of contemporary socio-musical studies of South Asia and its environs."-Peter Manuel, Professor, John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center
"This collection of case studies collaboratively addresses the diversity and significance of local knowledge, practice, and experience, and breaks new ground in documenting South Asian music and in understanding its relevance to humanity."-Richard Widdess, Professor of Musicology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
"[A] stimulating collection of chapters that challenges and complements the globalization literature." --American Ethnologist
