Sociomusicology: May 2013

5/6/13

Sociological Approaches to Western Music in Japan

I am pleased to announce that there will be a session on the topic "Sociological Approaches to Western Music in Japan" by the Research Committee for the Sociology of Arts at the International Sociological Association's Eighteenth World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014, Yokohama, Japan):

http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2014/rc/rc.php?n=RC37

Session title: Sociological approaches to western music in Japan

Session organiser: David G. Hebert, Bergen University College, Norway

ABSTRACT:

This session features research into historical and contemporary aspects of western music in Japan, from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Presenters include musicologists, sociologists and experienced performers, who address what is "Japanese" about the phenomenon of western music in Japan, as well as how Japan has made unique contributions to global practices in this field. Research in this session will be based on case studies of notable ensembles and individual musicians, as well as more holistic examination of institutions and social practices that illustrate how aspects of Japanese and European traditions have fused through creative agency.

Interested scholars may contact me for details and announcements will also be on the ISA website.

Welcome to Sociomusicology

For over 15 years (since 2007), this website has offered musings on contemporary society and its music by David G. Hebert, PhD. He is a sociomusicologist specializing in global music education who has held academic positions with universities on five continents. Dr. Hebert is now a tenured full Professor with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen. There he leads the Grieg Academy Music Education (GAME) research group and manages the multinational government-funded Nordic Network for Music Education, which organizes annual intensive Master courses and exchange of teachers and students across eight countries. He is also an Affiliated Professor with University of the Faroe Islands and an Honorary Professor in China with the Education University of Hong Kong.

Professor Hebert's research applies an international-comparative perspective to issues of pluralism, identity, and cultural relevance in music education, as well as processes by which new music traditions emerge and change - both sonically and socially - as they are adopted into institutions. Born in the 1970s, he is among the most widely-published and globally-active music scholars of his generation (h-index:20; i10-index:30), with professional activities in an average of 8 countries per year across the past decade (2008-2020).