In this episode, we discuss the 2023 SEM Conference with local arrangement committee co-chairs, Dr. Anna Hoefnagels (Carleton University) and Dr. Judith Klassen (Canada Museum of Natural History), along with committee member Charlotte Stewart-Juby (Carleton University).SEM Podcast

In this episode, we discuss environmentalism and Haitian music culture with Rebecca Dirksen. By investigating how colonialism and deforestation are related, Rebecca investigates how colonialism and dictatorship affect not only the landscape, but also the musical soul of Haiti. This conversation was recorded in the spring of 2021, prior to the assas…

On October 27, the Society for Ethnomusicology will open its 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting with a pre-conference symposium Celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities' (HBCUs) Musical Legacy: An Exploration of Relationships Between HBCUs and the Society for Ethnomusicology. In this episode we talk with pre-conference co-chairs, Loneka Ba…

In this episode, Eduardo Herrera and Michael O’Brien discuss their research into collective music making in Argentina. Grounded in a discussion of Argentina’s 2018 “Hit of the Summer,” this episodes examines the possibilities for political action and issues of toxic masculinity within participatory musicking practices of Argentinian soccer chants a…

In this episode we talk with Emaeyak Sylvanus about his article, “Prefiguring as an Indigenous Narrative Tool in Nigerian Cinema: An Ethnomusicological Reading,” which was published in the Summer 2019 issue of the journal Ethnomusicology. A pioneering researcher on Nollywood film music, Emaeyak explores localized musical concepts that dominate Nige…

In this episode we talk with Javier León and Ed Wolf about the upcoming SEM 2019 pre-conference symposium: “Heritage and the Politics of Inclusion in Latin American Brass Bands.” This November, the Society for Ethnomusicology will hold its 64th Annual Meeting in Bloomington, Indiana. On November 6, the day before the start of the annual conference,…

In this episode, we discuss with Bonnie McConnell how community-oriented and participatory-based musical performances impact global health initiatives. By investigating the relationships between kanyelang musicians, government officials, health workers, and local communities, Bonnie discusses the value of musical performance and participation in lo…

In this episode, we discuss performative ecology with Brian Dietrich, whose article, “’Summoning Breadfruit’ and ‘Opening Seas:' Toward a Performative Ecology in Oceania” was published in the Winter 2018 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. Diettrich explores the concept of performative ecology in his discussion of ótoomey (summoning breadfruit) …

In this episode we talk with two scholars, Sydney Hutchinson and Byrd McDaniel, whose respective articles on competitive air guitar were recently published in the journal Ethnomusicology. Hutchinson, whose article, “Asian Fury: A Tale of Race, Rock, and Air Guitar” was published in the Fall 2016 issue of Ethnomusicology, explores themes of race, ge…

In this episode we talk with Marié Abe, whose article "Sounding Against Nuclear Power in Post-3.11 Japan: Resonances of Silence and Chindon-ya," was published in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. Abe explores the Japanese musical advertisement practice chindon-ya and how it has become politicized as the sounds of anti-nu…

In this episode we discuss the aesthetics of spiritual possession with Juan Diego Diaz, whose article "Listening with the Body: An Aesthetics of Spirit Possession Outside the Terreiro," was published in the Winter 2016 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. In his investigation of the aesthetics of spiritual possession, Juan Diego compares the ritu…

In this episode we discuss the complex ecosystem of the global tabla industry with Allen Roda, whose article "Ecology of the Global Tabla Industry," was published in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. Roda examines the global tabla industry as a complex ecosystem involving many contributors, including instruments, the art…

In this episode, we discuss post-1990’s Indian dance culture with Anna Morcom, whose article “Terrains of Bollywood: (Neoliberal) Capitalism and the Transformation of Cultural Economies” was published in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of the journal Ethnomusicology.SEM Podcast

In this episode, we discuss intellectual property rights within the context of the Indian popular music industry with Gregory Booth, whose article "Copyright Law and the Changing Economic Value of Popular Music in India" was published in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of the journal Ethnomusicology.SEM Podcast

In this episode, we discuss Swedish chamber klezmer bands with David Kaminsky, whose article “Just Exotic Enough: Swedish Chamber Klezmer as Postnational World Music and Mid-East Proxy” was published in the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of the journal Ethnomusicology.SEM Podcast

In this episode, we discuss the rock-and-roll tribute band phenomenon with John Paul Meyers, whose article “Still Like That Old Time Rock and Roll: Tribute Bands and Historical Consciousness in Popular Music” was published in the Winter 2015 issue of the journal Ethnomusicology.SEM Podcast