Shadows in the Field: New Perspectives for Fieldwork in Ethnomusicology [Paperback]

Gregory F. Barz (Editor), Timothy J. Cooley (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195109112 | ISBN-13: 978-0195109115 | Publication Date: November 21, 1996

What are the new directions in ethnomusicological fieldwork? What do we see when we acknowledge the shadows we cast in the field? Will fieldwork continue as an integral part of ethnomusicological theory and method? Glancing forward and backward, the authors in this collection explore a range of issues that can help ethnomusicologists and those who study human experience and creativity to conceptualize the nature of fieldwork. This is the first book by ethnomusicologists to consider fieldwork as an issue-laden practice, rather than as a methodology requiring a prescriptive manual. The contributors challenge the very notion of fieldwork: its goals, the nature of knowledge gained, and the place of fieldwork in historical studies. Until now the focus in ethnomusicological writing and teaching centered around analyses and ethnographic representations of musical cultures. This book signals a new fieldwork, shifting the balance away from the data-collecting model toward an approach that is reflexive, humanistic, and experiential. It makes provocative reading for all fieldworkers, those in ethnomusicology as well as anthropology, sociology, folklore, area studies, linguistics, and other ethnographic disciplines.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Shadows in the Field should be required reading in all such courses because the essays represent a sustained effort by ethnomusicologists to grapple with experimental and representational issues that are central to contemporary research and writing practices in the discipline....a welcome--and essential--addition to the ethnomusicology syllabus and bookshelf."--Ethnomusicology

"The essays in Shadows in the Field address one of the key facets of ethnomusicological research, providing a stimulating set of reflections on fieldwork as experienced in a number of different settings."--The World of Music

About the Author

Gregory F. Barz and Timothy J. Cooley are both at Brown University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195109112
• ISBN-13: 978-0195109115
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,304,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for students, October 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadows in the Field: New Perspectives for Fieldwork in Ethnomusicology (Paperback)

An excellent book for raising issues and perspectives in the realm of fieldwork and ethnographic study. While at times a bit too self-indulgent, and lacking in corrective remedies to what ethnomusicologists see as problems of reflexivity within the field, it seems to me an excellent book for students looking at fieldwork. The chapters by Jeff Titon and Greg Barz are particularly noteworthy.