Global Music (Global Summer School)

Global Perspectives: The World on our Doorstep

This module explores the impact of globalisation on music, focusing primarily on London as one of the world's major multi-cultural cities.

From a consideration of the nature and meaning of globalisation, the module will examine a number of issues, including questions of identity, post-colonial politics and the place of world music in contemporary Britain.

As part of the module assessment you will undertake a written project, and review and critique some of the live events you will visit.

Upon successful completion of this module you will receive a transcript with 7.5 ECTS credits.

Course tutor

Dr Hwee-San Tan is a tutor in Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is also Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, and Reviews Editor for Ethnomusicology Forum, journal of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology.

Since completing her PhD at SOAS in 2003, she has held lecturing posts at Durham University, University College Dublin and University of Surrey. She has published widely on Buddhist music and rites, Chinese music, and the intangible heritage policy in China. She is currently completing a monograph on Buddhist rites and liturgical music in southeastern China and Taiwan, and co-editing a volume on intangible cultural heritage in East Asia and another on music and ritual in East Asia.

She has given lectures at several universities in the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. She has also been active in concert organisation and media work in the UK, Ireland and elsewhere in Europe.

Course themes

• Introduction: The Global Village?
• World Music: What does it mean?
• The West and the Rest: The politics of cultural representation
• World Music Institutionalised: World music in education
• Expressing and negotiating changing identities through music
• Sounds of the city: Undertaking an ethnography of multi-cultural London
• Whose Music? Beg, Steal or Borrow: musical appropriation, sampling and questions of musical ownership
• Meeting Points - Into the Melting Pot: inter-cultural musical exchange
• Technoculture - Postmodernism and world music
• Intangible Cultural Heritage: Preservation, Innovation and Festivalisation.

Download a course overview

Please see the Global Music overview pdf for further details.