Critical Review 2: Slobin 1994

Mark Slobin begins his discussion of music and diaspora by outlining the ways music can contribute to the identities of individuals from a certain diaspora.  It is music, he argues, that (alongside food) is "the main means of identification of diasporic groups."  As he goes on, he explains that although music is shared by a whole diaspora, it is only influenced by a few.  Finally, he explains how stickiness can occur when diasporic lines are blurred.

Discussion Questions:  What are the key similarities and differences between diasporic groups and subcultures?  What entitles the few who can influence the music of a diaspora to do so.

Web Ethnography Project: Initial Topic Post

Sean Kane and I will collaborate on this web ethnography project with the hope of  understanding the social underpinnings of music combining two genres, which we will call "combination music."  We define combination music as crossover songs (like Run DMC and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way,") and mashups combining two styles (like Jay-Z and Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore").  Combining genres blurs the lines between them, forcing listeners to choose what components of the genre they prefer are valued most.  To cover a realistic territory, we will focus on rap/rock combinations.

In order to see the effects combination music, we will interview people who identify solely with one genre or another; diving into how the music makes them feel, and cultural ramifications of listening to it.  Questions we hope to address include:  Will listeners who at one time associated with only one genre embrace the culture of the other if they like the music?  Will enjoying combination music make listeners feel less a part of their original cultural niche?  Are there certain qualities to a song of a genre (like lyrics to rap) that are more influential to songs of that genre than other qualities (like the beat)?  Is combination music targeted at one group rather than both?