Музика и плес на осовини Исток–Запад: Односи и мобилности

Abstract

The question of the ‘Orient’ in the humanities gained significant attention after the landmark work of Edward Said (1978). However, the issue of representation from the position of power was of a much older date, and the eurocentric perspective of the late XIX and most of the XX centuries influenced comparative musicology and then ethnomusicology to a certain extent, due to the fact that ethnomusicology as a discipline is rooted in the observation of music of ‘the Others’. Said’s work also affected academic discourse about questions of (Middle) East wars and the history and social reflections of the religions, and it was a necessary basis for postcolonial and decolonization studies in global terms, which occupy a significant position in contemporary ethnomusicology (and musicology). Perceived from the aspect of ‘the crossroads between East and West’ and the tendency to abandon the burdening synonym for conflicting nations, the Balkans, as the main focus area for this symposium, is observed as a field for research of correlations in music and dance heritage, as well as the space where/through which music/dance and musicians/dancers are migrating and moving. In the XXI century, the study of cultural relations through music and dance in the Balkans, with the idea of establishing historical and contemporary connections, has stimulated several international projects based on collaborative ethnomusicological, ethnochoreological and musicological research. The opening and growth of national ‘schools’ for music and dance studies, as well as the interpretation of new primary sources, expanded the possibility of writing new histories of a regional character. The liminal position of the Balkans has inspired numerous discussions in global humanities about this region as a crossroads and a bridge between East and West, with a special emphasis on the spectrum of correlations of Oriental, Mediterranean and Balkan cultures. On this occasion, a rethinking of the East would be encouraged, with a special focus on establishing common heritage, practices and tendencies in music and dance – from new applications and interpretations of the concepts of Orientalism and postcolonialism to the presentation of the results of a structural analysis of presumed Eastern influences in a broader sense. This combination of joint research of international scholars and the fluidity of the East–West axis points not only to comparative methods, but also to the examination of current theoretical concepts. By following the process and consequences of historical and contemporary migrations, the questions of music and dance in multi-ethnic environments, transnational music and/or dance forms, mobility of musicians and dancers, music and dance in the diaspora are opened up; today they can be of interest to the musicological, ethnomusicological and ethnochoreological research teams in the widest geographical frameworks. In the context of the investigations of music and dance in the Balkans, it would be particularly important to build upon the previous studies of complex music and dance phenomena by focusing on the aforementioned aspects of moving. The list of topics of the symposium includes (but is not limited to): - music and dance of the Slavic and Turkish peoples in the post-Ottoman context; - pan-Balkan music and dance practices in the context of heritage; - scientific, artistic and performative interpretations of the Orient in music and dance practices; - music and dance in the context of migration; - music and dance in the diaspora; - methodologies of collaborative research in musicology, ethnomusicology and ethnochoreology. The duality and simultaneous uniqueness of music and dance positioned on the East–West pivot allow new theoretical propositions, and this symposium encourages the invention of new analytical methods, new readings of known Balkan practices, and even proposals for redefining this imaginary and generalizing axis.