Music and Cultural Diplomacy

Project summary

Music and Cultural Diplomacy is a ground-breaking project to explore how the power of music is used in diplomacy initiatives, with particular attention to the educational implications of these kinds of endeavors. 

The project has produced keynote speeches (for conferences in Thailand and Germany), joint international conference presentations (symposia and roundtables accepted at for instance, British Forum for Ethnomusicology 2021 and Nordic Educational Research Association, 2022), and publication of an edited volume with chapters contributed by members of the GAME research group at HVL as well as former PhD students from Prof. Hebert's doctoral courses at Bergen Summer Research School.

Hebert, D. G. & McCollum, J. (Eds.), (2022). Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy. Deep Soundings: The Lexington Series in Historical Ethnomusicology, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781793642912

Table of Contents

 

Preface: Why this Topic and these Authors

David G. Hebert

 

Part I: Introduction to Music and Cultural Diplomacy

 

Chapter One: Introduction: Ethnomusicology as a Resource for Cultural Diplomacy

David G. Hebert

Chapter Two: International Soft Law and the Promotion of Musical Rights

Marja Heimonen and David G. Hebert

 

Part II: Middle Eastern Perspectives

 

Chapter Three: “A Very Beautiful Image of Afghanistan”: Cultural Diplomacy through Music Education and Performance

Lauren Braithwaite

Chapter Four: Music Festivals and Cultural Diplomacy in Uzbekistan

Elnora Mamadjanova and David G. Hebert

Chapter Five: Sufi Voices: Music as a Unifying Pathway toward the Divine

Chaden Yafi

Chapter Six: Soft War and Multilateral Musical Pathways in Iran

Nasim Niknafs

 

PART III: East Asian Views

 

Chapter Seven: Cultural Diplomacy in Collaborative Artistic Projects between China and Europe

Marianne Løkke Jakobsen and David G. Hebert

Chapter Eight: A Gap in Cultural Policy: Non-Japanese Experiences of Learning Japanese Music

Koji Matsunobu

Chapter Nine: Cultural Diplomacy and Transculturation through the History of Vọng Cổ in Vietnam

Nguyễn Thanh Thủy and Stefan Östersjö

 

PART IV: African Insights

 

Chapter Ten: Cultural Policies and Music Production Across Ethiopian Regimes: A Historical Study

Abraha Weldu and Jan Magne Steinhovden

Chapter Eleven: Musical Activism from South Africa: The “Soft Power” of Cultural Diplomacy

Ambigay Yudkoff

Chapter Twelve: Intercultural Relations in Church Music of Nigeria and South Africa

Rhoda Abiolu

 

PART V: Legal Perspectives from Asia

 

Chapter Thirteen: Cultural Heritage and Music Diplomacy: The Legal Framework in India

Karan Choudhary

Chapter Fourteen: China’s Legal Framework Supporting Protection and Sustainability of Artistic Heritage

Juqian Li

 

Part VI: Conclusion: Rethinking Music Heritage and Cultural Diplomacy

 

Chapter Fifteen: Toward Global Models and Benchmarks for Music Diplomacy

David G. Hebert and Jonathan McCollum