The Cultural Study of Music: A Critical Introduction

What is the relationship between music and culture? The first edition of The Cultural Study of Music: A Critical Introduction explored this question with groundbreaking rigor and breadth. Now this second edition refines that original analysis while examining the ways the field has developed in the years since the book’s initial publication. Including contributions from scholars of music, cultural studies, anthropology, sociology, and psychology, this anthology provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of music and culture. It includes both pioneering theoretical essays and exhaustively researched case studies on particular issues in world musics. For the second edition, the original essays have been revised and nine new chapters have been added, covering themes such as race, religion, geography, technology, and the politics of music. With an even broader scope and a larger roster of world-renowned contributors, The Cultural Study of Music is certain to remain a canonical text in the field of cultural musicology.

Martin Clayton is Professor of Ethnomusicology at Durham University.

Trevor Herbert is Professor of Music at The Open University.

Richard Middleton is Emeritus Professor of Music at Newcastle University.