The section that I found most intriguing was that on communities and their musics. As Stokes explains, music and dance create a sense of community, and the process of creating this music and dance, as opposed to the music and dance itself, is often a contributory factor to the creation of a sense of community. Durkheim's concept of collective effervescence can be used to understand this phenomenon. Collective effervescence is "a perceived energy formed by a gathering of people as might be experienced at a sporting event, carnival, rave or riot" (Wikipedia). The participation of individuals within a community in a communal music event (e.g. highland Berber festivies) may in fact be a foundational aspect of the community's identity.
This sense of community, however, can be applied to more than just a particular ethnic or national group of people. I believe that this sense of community does not even have to include a permanent group of individuals. A community can be defined as a group that shares common characteristics and views itself as a distinct collective in a larger society. With the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival coming up these next couple weekends, I could not help but think about how this analysis applies to the event. Thousands of individuals, all from different backgrounds, flock to the Empire Polo Fields in Indio and set up a sort of pop-up community in which everyone shares something in common: a desire to participate in an event that is more than just a concert. Coachella becomes this temporary space in which creativity thrives and one can escape the normal structures of society. Participating in the event itself creates this collective effervescence that Durkheim applies to religion and Stokes relates to ethnomusicology. In doing so, the attendees of Coachella establish a sense of community--a temporary community, that is. The music is what brings everyone together and facilitates the collective camaraderie that everyone leaves with.
A reading that is somewhat related to this concept of temporary communities is Hakim Bey's "T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism." While Bey's book is focused on the socio-political implications of these temporary spaces, I think that it is an interesting read relevant to my analysis.
Here are some pictures of the Coachella community:
I would even say a music community nowadays could be an online community (thanks to sites like Youtube...oh wonderful Youtube...). I was wondering if "ethnomusicology" can still be "ethno" musicology as the structure & composition of communities transcends ethnic boundaries. Does the 'ethno' prefix refer to communities or more to ethnic entities? The Stokes chapter also refers to discussions of music as central to the production of community. If music practice & production creates community & solidarity, and new [music] communities can be identified in cyberspace, then does the definition of ethnicity & other cultural distinctions decline in relevance?
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ReplyDeleteI don't see the bridging of different peoples and communities via "cyberspace" and the internet so much as a test of established ethnic social establishments so much as a means of creating new and possibly even more complex networks of meaning between cultures. Just because "a music community nowadays could be an online community ... [that] transcends ethnic boundaries" does not mean that "the definition of ethnicity and other cultural distinctions" must "decline in relevance." One does not lose one's own cultural and ethnic identity by sharing it. Culture is to be shared, and if as a result a new one is created, then a natural progression forward ensues, not a step back. In other words, in my opinion, technology and the creation of online communities and cultures is not a negation of previously established ones.
ReplyDeletei.e. ethnicity is still very relevant.
DeleteI agree with your statement, the sharing of one's culture does not mean that the person/ or community that shares it is losing it's culture, instead it is adding to another's own understanding of that culture. In a way almost expanding and preserving that culture.
DeleteI also I have a general statement to anyone (I know that this might sound stupid, but oh well) This article talks a lot about the sense of connection for a community that music brings. But wouldn't there also be a sense of connection to the past for that specific cultural community. For instance, I am a part of a Japanese taiko drumming group, not only do I feel a sense of community among the current members, the recent alumni and other taiko groups but I also feel a connection to the history of taiko, a connection to the first people that brought it to the us. I feel like I share the same excitement for it as they did bringing it here. I know this might not have any relevance, but just an observation.
I really like your second to last paragraph Eric - talking about the temporary community at Coachella. I believe that a community can be created when there is a gathering of individuals coming from all walks of life yet they share a common interest in something thus bringing them together - in this case it is music.
ReplyDeleteI find musical theatre - especially that of a university (shameless plug for UCSD's Muir Musical which you should all go watch and support) or a local community theatre troupe to be a wonderful example of a temporary community as you have described and also a subculture within itself. Using Muir Musical as an example, the cast and crew come from different backgrounds, majors, interests, organizations, yet they all share a commonality of their love of theatre music and the performing arts. They come together for a period of time to collaborate and produce a show with music that many people can enjoy. There is another aspect of this in that the audience is ingrained in this culture of theatre as well, participating in the social aspect of attending an event with many different people to share their love and interest of a certain music. They share and perpetuate a culture thus leading to its evolution.
I have to wonder if the advances in technology in some way removes the temporary aspect of the communities such as the one you mention that is created at Coachella. With the internet being, arguably, easily accessible by most of the people at Coachella, does that not mean their community still exists online, even after the even that may have formed this community is past? I think that Eunah touched on something important in wondering about the communities created in cyberspace, because there is no reliable way to see the ethnicity or cultural distinctions of others on the internet. In as such people may even create a whole new identity for themselves, away from their ethnic identity so I believe that Eunah's question of possible diminishing relevance is valid, however it doesn't necessarily mean that their value is diminished, as interactions outside of the internet are there and do not disappear because of the freedom to create a new identity or community on the internet exists, but the validity of the point, I think, remains.
ReplyDeleteI like your discussion of how a sense of community can stretch beyond a particular ethnic or national group. I often find myself and others feeling a sense of community when we discover that we play the same instrument. I can't count how many lengthy conversations I've had with strangers when going to a guitar shop. There's a sense of community even if we don't share many common music tastes. Our common interest in guitar brings us all together and helps create a sort of forum for sharing our different music tastes and cultures with one another. This seems to be common with people finding out that they share some common music tastes too. It's like what Ben brought up on the first day of class about mixtapes and how we take pride in them. When people think our mixtape is trash, then we often take offense and feel pushed away from them. However, to build on that, if we find that they like it and maybe even already listen to some of the artists on that tape, then we instantly feel closer. Suddenly, you've found a new best friend and you're discussing how cool some of the artists you both like are and making all sorts of music recommendations.
ReplyDeleteHaving gone to Coachella before, I can tell you that it does become a mini-community. You begin to share thoughts and ideas with one another, pass along music, and of course party together. Moreover, the enjoyment of music as a group builds intimacy and forms a sense of community.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to Coachella in 2008, I went for one reason (mainly)...Paul McCartney. I waited in front of that main stage from 10am without moving, despite hunger and heat nearly killing me. When Paul finally came on around 10:30 pm, the outpouring of emotion from everyone could be felt all around. What I noticed more so than my own enjoyment, was the enjoyment of everyone around me. You could see the music had connected all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds and brought them together as a community. Truly collective effervescence.