Authors:
presents qualitative, community-based anthropological research about the Singapore music scene
contributes to a better understanding of identity construction and cultural change in Singapore
builds a deeper understanding of how traditions come to be ‘contemporised’ and innovated upon
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
About this book
This book explores questions of identity, cultural change and creativity from the perspective of contemporary musicians currently engaged in redefining Asian musical traditions and notions of heritage in Singapore. Drawing on the fields of anthropology, cultural studies, and ethnomusicology, Semionauts of Tradition focuses on emerging millennial musicians and explores the complex and interwoven cultural, national, musical, and personal identifications in their discourse and music practice. It shows how they create fluid, hybrid and counter-hegemonic forms of expression, representation and identity through their navigation of diverse cultural worlds, their incorporation of a myriad of elements into their own identities and music, and their contestations of preconceived notions of difference and tradition. The book exposes paradoxes within current thinking about ‘multiracialism’, ‘racial harmony’, the ‘East/West divide’ and ‘tradition versus modernity,’ and proposes new ways of understanding identity, cultural change and creativity in a highly globalised, and diverse nation. This highly-original polyvocal account of a burgeoning music scene includes photos, musical scores and reaction pieces by musicians. It is a timely contribution to global discussions about ‘multiculturalism from below,’ as well as musical, cultural and national identities in a postcolonial Southeast Asian setting, from the viewpoint of artists engaged in creative meaning-making.
"This captivating book explores - with tremendous intellectual vitality - the dialectic relationships between the cultural, ethnic and national identities of Singapore’s creative youth, and their creative practice. A compelling read!"
Dr Liora Bresler, Professor, University of Illinois
"A well-researched and thoughtfully well-written book about the diverse forms of music in Singapore and the musicians who created it."
- Jeremy Monteiro, jazz pianist, singer, composer, and music educator
"This wonderfully lucid and compelling book analyzes the musical and cultural creativity of young Singaporean musicians growing up in a multicultural and ethnically plural society, bringing Asian and Western musical cultures into creative dialogue."
- Dr Deborah Pacini Hernandez, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University
"A thought provoking dialogue on contemporary Singaporean music!"
-Eric Watson, composer, conductor, music technologist and pedagogue
Keywords
- Semionauts of tradition
- Music, culture and identity in contemporary Singapore
- Music in contemporary Singapore
- Ethnomusicology in contemporary Singapore
- Youth and music in contemporary Singapore
- Cultural identities in contemporary Singapore
- Postcolonial studies
- Music education
- Music scene in Singapore
- Musicians in contemporary Singapore
- Asian traditional music
- Culture and media
- Music and cultural identities
Authors and Affiliations
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National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray, Chee-Hoo Lum
About the authors
Chee-Hoo Lum is associate professor of music education with the Visual & Performing Academic Group at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the Head of UNESCO-NIE Centre for Arts Research in Education (CARE), part of a region-wide network of Observatories stemming from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Action Plan. He is also the Coordinator of the newly formed UNESCO UNITWIN: Arts Education Research for Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development. Chee-Hoo's research interests include issues towards identity, cultural diversity and multiculturalism, technology and globalization in music education; children's musical cultures; creativity and improvisation; and elementary music methods. He is currently the Co-Editor of IJME Research (International Journal of Music Education) and on the editorial board of JRME (Journal of Research in Music Education) and RSME (Research Studies in Music Education).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Semionauts of Tradition
Book Subtitle: Music, Culture and Identity in Contemporary Singapore
Authors: Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray, Chee-Hoo Lum
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1011-9
Publisher: Springer Singapore
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-13-1010-2Published: 12 February 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-981-13-1011-9Published: 16 January 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIV, 249
Number of Illustrations: 38 b/w illustrations
Topics: Music, Cultural Studies, History of Southeast Asia