Sustainable Futures for Music Cultures

Abstract

The sustainability of music and other intangible expressions of culture has been high on the agenda of scholars, governments, and nongovernmental organizations in recent years. However, there is a striking lack of systematic research into what exactly affects sustainability across music cultures. By analyzing case studies of nine highly diverse music cultures against a single framework that identifies key factors in music sustainability, Sustainable Futures for Music Cultures offers an understanding of both the challenges and dynamics of music sustainability in the contemporary global environment, as well as breathing new life into the discredited realm of comparative musicology, but now from an emphatically non-Eurocentric perspective. Situated within the expanding field of applied ethnomusicology, this book confirms some commonly held beliefs, challenges others, and reveals sometimes surprising insights into the dynamics of music cultures by examining, comparing, and contrasting highly diverse contexts, from thriving to “in urgent need of safeguarding.” Analyzing sustainability across five carefully defined domains, the book identifies pathways to strategies and tools that may empower communities and other stakeholders to sustain and revitalize their music heritage on their terms. In this way, the book aims to contribute to greater scholarly insight, new (sub)disciplinary approaches, and pathways to improved practical outcomes for the long-term sustainability of music cultures.