Music and Cultural Diplomacy in the Middle East

Geopolitical Re-Configurations for the 21st Century

• Author(s): Maria M. Rijo Lopes da Cunha, Jonathan Shannon, Søren Møller Sørensen, Virginia Danielson,
• Publisher: Springer International Publishing
• Pages: 301
• ISBN_10: 3031362780
  ISBN_13: 9783031362781
  
• Language: en
• Categories: Music / General , Social Science / Ethnic Studies / Middle Eastern Studies , Social Science / Sociology / General , Social Science / Emigration & Immigration , Political Science / International Relations / Diplomacy , Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social ,

Description:... This edited volume offers innovative perspectives on the study of music as cultural diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a region often overlooked in such discussions. It offers an innovative contribution to the field of ethnomusicology, as well as political science and international relations, by highlighting the agency of non-state actors (local voices, communities, and grassroots organizations), thereby contributing towards de-centering the state, hitherto conceived as the chief player in cultural diplomacy.
This volume is divided into four main parts organized along the following themes: 1. History and Historiography, 2. Migration, Diaspora, and Ethics, 3. Statecraft and Music Making, and 4. Affective and Sensorial Diplomacy. The perspectives offered in this volume offer a deeper exploration of bottom-up initiatives of cultural diplomacy through music, instead of the more usual analyses of top-down, state-directed programmes. Overall, the aim is to reconceptualize Middle Eastern, North African and Arab Gulf musical practices in their relationship to power and cultural diplomacy in order build a broader and pluri-dimensional account of these contentious relationships.