Economic Ethnomusicology

I am an active participant in the tiny subfield of economic ethnomusicology. I am particularly interested in utilizing political economic methods in ethnomusicology with a focus on class formation, elite culture, and performances of exchange. Linking macro processes and micro behavior is always challenging but is very rewarding.

I am particularly indebted to economic anthropology and sociology, but there is a long tradition within ethnomusicology of working within this paradigm. My dissertation research analyzed praise exchange in Oman as a performance practice that contributed to very subtle forms of class formation while facilitating concrete material transfer.

We are an active Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Society for Ethnomusicology and I encourage you to join us. We meet monthly to read each other’s work, debate current trends, and workshop ideas.