Postmodernism and Globalization in Ethnomusicology ― An Epistemological Problem

Is the music world clinging to an outdated school of thought in ethnomusicology? Postmodernism and Globalization in Ethnomusicology shows how the theory of cultural relativism continues to detrimentally pervade ethnomusicalogical thought, and then offers a solution that might better serve musical study in today's more globalized world. At the heart of cultural relativism, which seeks to avoid imposing the standards of an outside culture on a work, is the etic-emic dichotomy, which delineates the perspective of the outsider and that of the culture of origin. Nercessian points out that in our increasingly globalized society, cultures are no longer separate and distinct. A new theory is necessary to account for the cultural overlap. Borrowing from Derrida, the author offers a new solution that will allow for multiple perspectives without favoring that of the insider or emic. Of importance to students and scholars of ethnomusicology, this book also speaks to other fields of study where cultural relativism continues to dominate.

Andy H. Nercessian is currently lecturer in ethnomusicology at the University of Durham, UK.