Name: Musicology Colloquium: Leah Batstone
Start: 2024-03-22T16:30:00
Location: Woolworth Center

Princeton University Music Department

Much of our understanding of musical history aligns with the borders that have either previously or are today drawn by empires. The central narrative of Western music history is one that aligns with the statecraft of European, and later North American, empires and their politics and identities. Yet recent efforts at decolonization and broadening the repertoire have pushed us to look beyond the stories told by the victors, which often distort if not entirely omit histories that do not uphold their legacies. The need for these efforts surrounding the musics of formerly colonized groups, particularly and often the cultures of people of color is most glaring. However, similar deconstructions of hegemonic story-telling in more unlikely, European spaces, also prove to be a rich and fruitful endeavor.