What are the musical and political assumptions and implications behind terms such as “Western” “non-Western,” “Asian” “Western-classical,” and “Asian American” in contemporary music scholarship? Questioning the stakes of these designations, Transpacific Musicology examines processes of cultural exchange and circulation of Western music in locations typically designated as “non-Western.” Case studies primarily draw on scholarship related to Asia/Pacific/American cultural and geographic spaces.
The course readings combine theories and keywords relevant to the study of musical exchange and circulation, with closer examinations of musical practices through case studies. Additionally, we will explore the state of “multiple musicologies” by investigating musicological research beyond US-based scholarly publications and institutions. Theoretical topics and keyword studies include orientalism, colonial legacies, mimicry, difference, diaspora, cultural diplomacy, and contemporary indigeneity; musical topics may include transpacific avant-gardes, Afro-Asian alliances, global popular music in local Asian scenes, experimental music in East Asia, and the influence of Asian music on composers working in Euro/American traditions.