Ecomusicology as an Ecocritical and Naturecultural Approach to Musicology

Abstract

<div><!--block-->After World War II, the rapid spread of critical theory led to the emergence of many new fields of study under the social sciences and cultural studies. The literary centered ecocriticism, which was developed in the 1980s, and the critical or new musicology studies that developed in similar periods, influenced the existing paradigms with their critical approaches. The field of ecomusicology, which brings together the idea of ecocriticism with the discipline of musicology, has brought a new approach to the environment/nature issues in terms of sound and music, adding nature to the relationship between music and culture. Ecomusicology studies dealing with many issues in the context of environment/nature from an interdisciplinary perspective is both a scientific and an activist effort. By questioning the humannature relationship and trying to find answers to today’s environmental crises and sustainability problems by expanding the boundaries of musicology, ecomusicology has been a rapidly developing field since the 2000s. In this article, the emergence of ecomusicology as an ecocritical and naturecultural musicology approach, as well as conceptual and methodological discussions concerning this field are examined through the main sources. This article is intended to be a guide to future research in the field of ecomusicology in Turkey.</div>