- Ethnomusicology, African Music, Uganda, Croatian Music, Anthropology, Historical Ethnomusicology, and 28 moreGender Studies, Musicology, Women's Studies, Applied Ethnomusicology, Ethnocoreology, Dance Ethnology, Intangible Cultural Heritage (Culture), Traditional Music, Sound Recording, Croatia, Ethnography, Ethnochoreology, Organology, Development Policies and Strategies, Culture and Development, Traditional Crafts, Unesco, Performance Ethnography, Antonio Gramsci, Anthropology of Knowledge, Edward Said, Cultural Politics, Cross-Cultural Communication, Etnomusicology, Croatian History, Anthropology of Performance, Festivals and music, Intangible cultural heritage, and Cultural Cold Waredit
Research Interests:
The ubiquity of the jembe in western and northern Europe, as well as in North America, was instigated during the 1970s by influential West African jembe players, later developing within world music, where this drum came to represent the... more
The ubiquity of the jembe in western and northern Europe, as well
as in North America, was instigated during the 1970s by influential
West African jembe players, later developing within world music,
where this drum came to represent the essence of ‘African music’.
In Croatia the popularity of the jembe did not arise until the late
1990s, motivated by local Croatian musicians who shaped an
African music scene in Zagreb. More than a decade later, the first
performers from West Africa—specifically from Senegal—settled
in Croatia and claimed a space in the limited scene that had
mainly crystallised around the jembe. Albeit within a climate of
open collaboration, frictions emerged between these two groups
of jembe performers surrounding issues of authenticity and
labour. This article focuses on the initial phases and issues at
stake in this encounter between Croatian and Senegalese jembe
practitioners. Although these tensions resonate with exoticising
discourses and notions of appropriation that have often
characterised the world music industry, it is argued that
generalising interpretations as well as the actors’ subjective
readings must be deconstructed in order to grasp the
complexities of this encounter and the processes shaping the
African music scene in Zagreb.
as in North America, was instigated during the 1970s by influential
West African jembe players, later developing within world music,
where this drum came to represent the essence of ‘African music’.
In Croatia the popularity of the jembe did not arise until the late
1990s, motivated by local Croatian musicians who shaped an
African music scene in Zagreb. More than a decade later, the first
performers from West Africa—specifically from Senegal—settled
in Croatia and claimed a space in the limited scene that had
mainly crystallised around the jembe. Albeit within a climate of
open collaboration, frictions emerged between these two groups
of jembe performers surrounding issues of authenticity and
labour. This article focuses on the initial phases and issues at
stake in this encounter between Croatian and Senegalese jembe
practitioners. Although these tensions resonate with exoticising
discourses and notions of appropriation that have often
characterised the world music industry, it is argued that
generalising interpretations as well as the actors’ subjective
readings must be deconstructed in order to grasp the
complexities of this encounter and the processes shaping the
African music scene in Zagreb.
Research Interests:
As the first director of the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation (IICMSD), Alain Daniélou edited the UNESCO Collection and published widely on musics from around the world. Most of the material used... more
As the first director of the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation (IICMSD), Alain Daniélou edited the UNESCO Collection and published widely on musics from around the world. Most of the material used for these publications is today preserved at the Department of Media of the Ethnological Mu- seum in Berlin. In this article, I discuss Daniélou’s role in relation to the IICMSD archive and Indian music. I re-contextualise and re-evaluate the French musicologist’s work and his stances on different musics by critically examining how this archival collection was assembled and later scattered among various institutions through different figures working at the institute. I do this particularly by analysing the institute’s classification system and investigating Daniélou’s actual role in making the UNESCO records on Indian music.
Research Interests:
During the 1960s and 1970s, non-European artists and groups performed more and more frequently on Western stages. Most of these performances were made possible thanks to the Groupe Interculturel d’Information et Coordination pour les... more
During the 1960s and 1970s, non-European artists and groups
performed more and more frequently on Western stages. Most of these performances
were made possible thanks to the Groupe Interculturel d’Information et
Coordination pour les Spectacles et les Concerts (GIICSC). This association of
festival directors promoted tours of well-known Asian artists who performed outside
their own country for the first time and were hosted by the most important
European and Middle-East festivals linked to the GIICSC.
This association developed under the joint leadership of the composer Nicolas
Nabokov and the musicologist and orientalist Alain Daniélou, and relied on
the logistic and advisory support of two European institutes directed by Daniélou
himself: the Venetian IICMS (Intercultural Institute for Comparative Music
Studies) and its parallel institution in Berlin. Daniélou’s role within the GIICSC
was to propose high-quality ensembles and artists to be invited for performances,
thanks to his knowledge of several Asian musical traditions and the connections
he had in the field. His friend Nabokov’s role was to ensure political support in
international contexts, in the International Music Council – which supported
the GIICSC in promoting East-West dialogue – and also in North-American
institutions, such as the Congress for Cultural Freedom.
The main purpose of the GIICSC was the promotion of original, non-European
forms of art, music, dance and theatre, which until then had been neglected
by established theatre and concert seasons. It rejected every form of contamination
or folklorization of these repertoires and artistic expressions. Daniélou guaranteed
the quality of the concerts and performances which he recommended to
the festivals and considered the promotion of outstanding artists the best way to
ensure acknowledgment of their cultural value in their homelands.
The development of the activities of the GIICSC makes it possible to understand
how these initiatives encouraged the spread of non-European music in the
West in the period prior to the advent of so-called “world music”. It also allows
us to interpret an aspect of Daniélou’s practical activities which deeply influenced
his theoretical work.
performed more and more frequently on Western stages. Most of these performances
were made possible thanks to the Groupe Interculturel d’Information et
Coordination pour les Spectacles et les Concerts (GIICSC). This association of
festival directors promoted tours of well-known Asian artists who performed outside
their own country for the first time and were hosted by the most important
European and Middle-East festivals linked to the GIICSC.
This association developed under the joint leadership of the composer Nicolas
Nabokov and the musicologist and orientalist Alain Daniélou, and relied on
the logistic and advisory support of two European institutes directed by Daniélou
himself: the Venetian IICMS (Intercultural Institute for Comparative Music
Studies) and its parallel institution in Berlin. Daniélou’s role within the GIICSC
was to propose high-quality ensembles and artists to be invited for performances,
thanks to his knowledge of several Asian musical traditions and the connections
he had in the field. His friend Nabokov’s role was to ensure political support in
international contexts, in the International Music Council – which supported
the GIICSC in promoting East-West dialogue – and also in North-American
institutions, such as the Congress for Cultural Freedom.
The main purpose of the GIICSC was the promotion of original, non-European
forms of art, music, dance and theatre, which until then had been neglected
by established theatre and concert seasons. It rejected every form of contamination
or folklorization of these repertoires and artistic expressions. Daniélou guaranteed
the quality of the concerts and performances which he recommended to
the festivals and considered the promotion of outstanding artists the best way to
ensure acknowledgment of their cultural value in their homelands.
The development of the activities of the GIICSC makes it possible to understand
how these initiatives encouraged the spread of non-European music in the
West in the period prior to the advent of so-called “world music”. It also allows
us to interpret an aspect of Daniélou’s practical activities which deeply influenced
his theoretical work.
Research Interests:
The terms folklore and tradition (and the derived adjectives) in relation to music have been employed to define the subject of ethnomusicologists’ study. In this article, the meaning of these words is considered in their historical use in... more
The terms folklore and tradition (and the derived adjectives) in relation to music have been employed to define the subject of ethnomusicologists’ study. In this article, the meaning of these words is considered in their historical use in ethnomusicology and akin disciplines, as well as in the common sense in English, Italian and Croatian, trying to identify the main shared elements as well as the differences. While folklore is a word of
foreign origin integrated in several languages, where it assumes diverse connotations also in terms of esthetical and moral value, the related adjective folk has local equivalents in Italian (popolare) and Croatian (narodni), which have been employed with reference to national musical expressions. Tradition is semantically partly overlapping with folklore,
and in recent years the derived adjectives (tradicionalan, tradicijski) have been preferred in Croatian, while in Italian the word traditional
(tradizionale) can be used to refer to non-European musics, and in general the locution musiche di tradizione orale is today favoured
to define the subject of ethnomusicology. It appears that the national use of these words has marked their local understanding, as well as the related scholarship, and thus a reflection on the use of English in present academic and non-academic contexts is necessary.
foreign origin integrated in several languages, where it assumes diverse connotations also in terms of esthetical and moral value, the related adjective folk has local equivalents in Italian (popolare) and Croatian (narodni), which have been employed with reference to national musical expressions. Tradition is semantically partly overlapping with folklore,
and in recent years the derived adjectives (tradicionalan, tradicijski) have been preferred in Croatian, while in Italian the word traditional
(tradizionale) can be used to refer to non-European musics, and in general the locution musiche di tradizione orale is today favoured
to define the subject of ethnomusicology. It appears that the national use of these words has marked their local understanding, as well as the related scholarship, and thus a reflection on the use of English in present academic and non-academic contexts is necessary.
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While most Ugandan artists that reached international fame within world music are male singers and instrumentalists, in this chapter I focus on Sarah Ndagire, a female Ugandan singer based in the UK, and discuss how she developed her... more
While most Ugandan artists that reached international fame within world music are
male singers and instrumentalists, in this chapter I focus on Sarah Ndagire, a female Ugandan singer based in the UK, and discuss how she developed her style, repertoire and career by establishing local as well as international networks. Ngadire gathered a variety of musical influences and inspirations as well as experiences in live music performances of several genres. Her music itinerary also developed through the fruitful cooperation with Ugandan musicians and sound producers and international collaborations for recording albums and performing on tours. Her repertoire includes
interpretations of traditional songs as well as new pieces that she locates within world music with Ugandan and African inspiration. In this chapter, I examine the various aspects of Ndagire’s leadership by analyzing her background and training, musical production, career, international networks and cooperation projects with male musicians and studio producers; furthermore, I consider her position in the African diaspora and cosmopolitan approach to her work. Finally, I argue that her cosmopolitan sensibility, capacity of connecting with various artists, flexibility in moving across musical boundaries and effectiveness in shaping her own career are key factors defining her leadership.
male singers and instrumentalists, in this chapter I focus on Sarah Ndagire, a female Ugandan singer based in the UK, and discuss how she developed her style, repertoire and career by establishing local as well as international networks. Ngadire gathered a variety of musical influences and inspirations as well as experiences in live music performances of several genres. Her music itinerary also developed through the fruitful cooperation with Ugandan musicians and sound producers and international collaborations for recording albums and performing on tours. Her repertoire includes
interpretations of traditional songs as well as new pieces that she locates within world music with Ugandan and African inspiration. In this chapter, I examine the various aspects of Ndagire’s leadership by analyzing her background and training, musical production, career, international networks and cooperation projects with male musicians and studio producers; furthermore, I consider her position in the African diaspora and cosmopolitan approach to her work. Finally, I argue that her cosmopolitan sensibility, capacity of connecting with various artists, flexibility in moving across musical boundaries and effectiveness in shaping her own career are key factors defining her leadership.
Research Interests:
In this paper, I discuss the practice of African musics in Croatia and interrogate the multiform relations of African or Africa-inspired genres with African and non-African performers, mostly focusing on the timeframe between the 1990s... more
In this paper, I discuss the practice of African musics in Croatia and interrogate the multiform relations of African or Africa-inspired genres with African and non-African performers, mostly focusing on the timeframe between the 1990s and late 2010s.
Research Interests:
Postcolonial theory often informs contemporary researches in the global South and beyond, showing scholars’ awareness of the power structures articulating our individualities, interactions with others and finally the production of... more
Postcolonial theory often informs contemporary researches in the global South and beyond, showing scholars’ awareness of the power structures articulating our individualities, interactions with others and finally the production of knowledge. However, fieldwork remains a challenging endeavour for the researcher, who has not only to come to terms with other ways of thinking and behaving as a research topic, but also to experience different, and potentially uneasy, notions on the self. After fieldwork, the publication of an ethnographic work entails a major selection of topics, data, memories and a representation binding together a theoretical framework with the information collected in the field as interpreted by the author.
This paper confronts with some of the challenges encountered during fieldwork: from the choice of methodology (observation, participation, collaboration, dialogue), to the positionality of the scholar in the field. These aspects are considered in the intersectional ways in which they shape the relationship with the people (informants, collaborators, participants, assistants, friends) among which the research is carried out, mould the ethnographic work and allow (or not) the production of knowledge. By considering the academic contributions on these topics, different models of ethnographies and my personal experience, I reflect on the different relational, power and theoretical issues at play during fieldwork, problematizing the choices that can be made. Furthermore, I consider the process of writing as a selection (because of the theoretical framework, relevance to the main topic, etc.), as well as a style form involving the construction of a narrative. Finally, I elaborate on the ethnographer’s transparency in describing the process of getting to know and understand the field and on the reflexivity informing about the interpretation process and the power negotiations around the definition of meaning.
This paper confronts with some of the challenges encountered during fieldwork: from the choice of methodology (observation, participation, collaboration, dialogue), to the positionality of the scholar in the field. These aspects are considered in the intersectional ways in which they shape the relationship with the people (informants, collaborators, participants, assistants, friends) among which the research is carried out, mould the ethnographic work and allow (or not) the production of knowledge. By considering the academic contributions on these topics, different models of ethnographies and my personal experience, I reflect on the different relational, power and theoretical issues at play during fieldwork, problematizing the choices that can be made. Furthermore, I consider the process of writing as a selection (because of the theoretical framework, relevance to the main topic, etc.), as well as a style form involving the construction of a narrative. Finally, I elaborate on the ethnographer’s transparency in describing the process of getting to know and understand the field and on the reflexivity informing about the interpretation process and the power negotiations around the definition of meaning.
Research Interests:
This article deals with the various forms and styles of the kolo dance from Bosnian Posavina, focusing on the meanings assigned to it by the community in their present displacement in the Post-Yugoslav context. Bosnian Posavina was... more
This article deals with the various forms and styles of the kolo dance
from Bosnian Posavina, focusing on the meanings assigned to it by the
community in their present displacement in the Post-Yugoslav context.
Bosnian Posavina was involved in substantial emigration during the
early 1990s because of the war in Bosnia, when most of the Catholic
population in Posavina moved abroad, especially to Croatia. Nowadays,
a considerable community from Bosnian Posavina is settled in Zagreb.
In this context, which can be described as their “second homeland”, they
have integrated into the system of Croatian amateur folklore [folklorni
amaterizam], creating their own associations with sections dedicated to
folk music and dance. In Croatia they participate in festivals for amateur
groups, but their most significant music and dance activity remains in
the context of parties among Bosnians and in the weekly meetings of
each association, where not only the rehearsals of the performing group
are held, but also singing and dancing for their own enjoyment. These
occasions, together with other celebrations held in Bosnia, are ones that
are most engaging both for the performers and their fellow Bosnians
attending.
The article explores how the particular kolo round dance of Bosnian
Posavina is articulated in different styles according to the various performing
contexts, and to the performers’ age and skills. Central to the
definition of their Bosnian identity in Croatia, the kolo can be performed
in both the presentational and participatory modalities by the same dancers,
showing the complexity of this repertoire in the present time, as
marked by dynamics continuously moving from the local to the national
and to the global.
from Bosnian Posavina, focusing on the meanings assigned to it by the
community in their present displacement in the Post-Yugoslav context.
Bosnian Posavina was involved in substantial emigration during the
early 1990s because of the war in Bosnia, when most of the Catholic
population in Posavina moved abroad, especially to Croatia. Nowadays,
a considerable community from Bosnian Posavina is settled in Zagreb.
In this context, which can be described as their “second homeland”, they
have integrated into the system of Croatian amateur folklore [folklorni
amaterizam], creating their own associations with sections dedicated to
folk music and dance. In Croatia they participate in festivals for amateur
groups, but their most significant music and dance activity remains in
the context of parties among Bosnians and in the weekly meetings of
each association, where not only the rehearsals of the performing group
are held, but also singing and dancing for their own enjoyment. These
occasions, together with other celebrations held in Bosnia, are ones that
are most engaging both for the performers and their fellow Bosnians
attending.
The article explores how the particular kolo round dance of Bosnian
Posavina is articulated in different styles according to the various performing
contexts, and to the performers’ age and skills. Central to the
definition of their Bosnian identity in Croatia, the kolo can be performed
in both the presentational and participatory modalities by the same dancers,
showing the complexity of this repertoire in the present time, as
marked by dynamics continuously moving from the local to the national
and to the global.
Research Interests:
This paper considers the activities and performances of amateur groups (KUDs) of folk music and dance from Bosnian Posavina in Zagreb and Vienna. Indeed, since the 1960s people from Bosnian Posavina have left their homeland for various... more
This paper considers the activities and performances of amateur groups (KUDs) of
folk music and dance from Bosnian Posavina in Zagreb and Vienna. Indeed, since the
1960s people from Bosnian Posavina have left their homeland for various reasons and
resettled in different countries. Based on my previous fieldwork among associations in
Zagreb and on new materials concerning the KUD “Bosanska Posavina Beč” (Vienna),
I describe the organization of these associations, the folklore repertoire involved, as well
as the events and venues for performances in Croatia and Austria. This paper will
discuss the features common to both contexts and the peculiarities that characterize the
national context of migration, and in some instances the very KUDs. Through
comparison I aim to understand some of the articulations taken by the present diasporic
process, both as social interactions and as cultural actions.
folk music and dance from Bosnian Posavina in Zagreb and Vienna. Indeed, since the
1960s people from Bosnian Posavina have left their homeland for various reasons and
resettled in different countries. Based on my previous fieldwork among associations in
Zagreb and on new materials concerning the KUD “Bosanska Posavina Beč” (Vienna),
I describe the organization of these associations, the folklore repertoire involved, as well
as the events and venues for performances in Croatia and Austria. This paper will
discuss the features common to both contexts and the peculiarities that characterize the
national context of migration, and in some instances the very KUDs. Through
comparison I aim to understand some of the articulations taken by the present diasporic
process, both as social interactions and as cultural actions.
Research Interests:
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Preserving Culture, Creating a Story. Tradition and Gender in Village Music of the Banyoro and Batooro of Uganda
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Postcolonial theory often informs contemporary researches in the global South and beyond, showing scholars’ awareness of the power structures articulating our individualities, interactions with others and finally the production of... more
Postcolonial theory often informs contemporary researches in the global South and beyond, showing scholars’ awareness of the power structures articulating our individualities, interactions with others and finally the production of knowledge. However, fieldwork remains a challenging endeavour for the researcher, who has not only to come to terms with other ways of thinking and behaving as a research topic, but also to experience different, and potentially uneasy, notions on the self. After fieldwork, the publication of an ethnographic work entails a major selection of topics, data, memories and a representation binding together a theoretical framework with the information collected in the field as interpreted by the author. This paper confronts with some of the challenges encountered during fieldwork: from the choice of methodology (observation, participation, collaboration, dialogue), to the positionality of the scholar in the field. These aspects are considered in the intersectional ways in which they shape the relationship with the people (informants, collaborators, participants, assistants, friends) among which the research is carried out, mould the ethnographic work and allow (or not) the production of knowledge. By considering the academic contributions on these topics, different models of ethnographies and my personal experience, I reflect on the different relational, power and theoretical issues at play during fieldwork, problematizing the choices that can be made. Furthermore, I consider the process of writing as a selection (because of the theoretical framework, relevance to the main topic, etc.), as well as a style form involving the construction of a narrative. Finally, I elaborate on the ethnographer’s transparency in describing the process of getting to know and understand the field and on the reflexivity informing about the interpretation process and the power negotiations around the definition of meaning.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The article deals with the use of digital technologies in traditional musics and in neo-traditional pieces from western Uganda. The discourse follows the various lines of employment of digital technologies and tries to describe musical... more
The article deals with the use of digital technologies in traditional musics and in neo-traditional pieces from western Uganda. The discourse follows the various lines of employment of digital technologies and tries to describe musical and media realities which are rapidly changing: from played back music marking the soundscape in Ugandan towns, to the role of the Internet and of YouTube in promoting artists and their songs, up to the relationship of neo-traditional musics with popular music and to in-studio digital musical production. Special attention is devoted to the production of a Tooro musician, which exemplifies the creative possibilities in the track of tradition, though in dialogue with digital technologies, in a perspective strongly anchored to his native territory but also opened to wider horizons. This case is presented in relation to another Ugandan experience which uses traditional pieces to re-elaborate them embracing the model of world music.
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The volume Musikethnographien im 21. Jahrhundert brings together ten contributions by ethnomusicologists from the German-speaking world, who discuss current paradigms of fieldwork such as multi-situated fieldwork, reflexivity,... more
The volume Musikethnographien im 21. Jahrhundert brings together ten contributions by ethnomusicologists from the German-speaking world, who discuss current paradigms of fieldwork such as multi-situated fieldwork, reflexivity, dialogicity, feedback, auto-ethnography, activism and intervention through performance ethnography and collaborative research, as well as questions of repatriation, ethical handling of research data and the role of digital social media. In addition to theories and methodological reflections, the volume also includes reflections on the temporality of ethnographic material as well as ethnographical fieldwork on memory and the past. These reflections are applied to the subject of music and sound.