Choric communication: The case of a Togolese women's musical organization

Abstract

This essay analyzes choric communication‐speaking, singing, or moving in unison‐from a Bakhtinian perspective, using a performance by a Togolese women's musical organization as a case study. The role choric communication plays in collectively organizing experience is examined. Instrumental use of choric communication is traced back to its Platonic roots. I claim that choric communication is intensely enculturing and can be used either in the service of the status quo or as a vehicle for change.