‘Austro-Pop’ since the 1980s: Two Case Studies of Cultural Critique and Counter- hegemonic Resistance

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 28-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Karner
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Cultural Critique ◽  
Social Critique ◽  
Austrian Society ◽  
Cognitive Anthropology ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Psychological Issues ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Ideological Resistance

Recent political and social developments in Austria have been widely portrayed in simplistically metonymic terms, with controversial figures such as Waldheim and Haider being perceived to epitomise Austrian society as a whole. In this paper, I analyse the discursive/lyrical content of some of the songs by STS and Austria 3, two of the most successful bands within the genre of Austrian popular music. Approaching these two case studies from the theoretical perspectives of discourse analysis and cognitive anthropology, I will show that ‘Austro- Pop’ has - at important junctures in recent Austrian history - served as a tool of ideological resistance and created sites of social critique and cultural introspection. This paper thus illustrates that popular music analysed as discourse can draw attention to social heterogeneity and competing ideologies. The resulting sociological account challenges widespread portrayals - both journalistic and academic - of Austrian society as ideologically monolithic. Popular music will therefore be shown to offer valuable empirical data concerning some important sociological and social psychological issues such as the spread and contestation of ideas, the ‘nature’ of public opinion and the individual's agency in relation to it.

Masculinity, Race, and Transculturalism in a Norwegian Context

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Hawkins
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Cultural Critique ◽  
Cultural Performance ◽  
Music Aesthetics ◽  
And Gender

This chapter explores transcultural perspectives on popular music aesthetics and gender in Norway through case studies of male celebrities born around 1980: the duo Madcon, Jarle Bernthoft, Lars Vaular, and Sondre Lerche. The analysis focuses on the practices of self-fashioning a persona in the realm of the popular, involving the aesthetics of masquerade, the ordinary, and escapism. Conceptually, the chapter draws from Bakhtin, Eyerman, Frith, and other influential voices in the literature on cultural performance and identity. The discussion also sheds light on fundamental issues in popular music aesthetics, demonstrating how the musicology of popular music can offer a unique cultural critique of identities that may appear to be “only entertainment” but in fact mediate powerful ideologies.

The Musicality of Canadian Cinema

2019 ◽  
pp. 390-408
Author(s):  
Michael Brendan Baker
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
National Cinema ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Institutional Forces ◽  
History Of ◽  
Narrative Account

This chapter offers a narrative account of music in Canadian cinema that highlights the contributions of its pioneers. Case studies spanning the critically acclaimed, the curious, and the marginalized allow for an effort to flesh out the place of music, particularly popular music, in this national cinema. While the esthetics and dollars-and-cents of music in film may be similar in Canada as elsewhere, the expectations of filmmakers and audiences are perhaps uniquely Canadian as a result of industrial and institutional forces. Animation, the avant-garde, and documentary are particularly vibrant spaces for the innovative use of music and differentiate the history of music in Canadian cinema from other more commercially oriented contexts.

Humanism and Music

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Contemporary Music ◽  
Theoretical Relationship ◽  
Rock Band ◽  
Historical Developments ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter explores the relationship between humanism and music, giving attention to important theoretical and historical developments, before focusing on four brief case studies rooted in popular culture. The first turns to rock band Modest Mouse as an example of music as a space of humanist expression. Next, the chapter explores Austin-based Rock band Quiet Company and Westcoast rapper Ras Kass and their use of music to critique religion. Last, the chapter discusses contemporary popular music created by artificial intelligence and considers what non-human production of music suggests about the category of the human and, resultantly, humanism. These case studies give attention to the historical and theoretical relationship between humanism and music, and they offer examples of that relationship as it plays out in contemporary music.

Some theoretical perspectives on African popular music

Popular Music ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin Emielu
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Dominant Position ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Social Reconstructionism ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Socially Responsive ◽  
Literary Materials

AbstractPopular music occupies a dominant position in the musical landscape of contemporary Africa, yet academic study of popular music is still in its infancy in most parts of Africa. This may be due in part to the absence of theoretical frameworks that stimulate popular music discourses from the African perspective. This paper is an attempt to fill this lacuna. Based on a critical and qualitative analysis of data gathered from field situations, participant observation, interviews and published literary materials on the subject matter, the paper theorises that the creation of African popular music is characterised by two significant processes: indigenisation and syncretisation. The paper further states that African popular music is a socially responsive phenomenon, sustained through the interplay of cross-cultural and trans-national social dynamics. The paper therefore proposes ‘social reconstructionism’ as a new theoretical paradigm for the analysis of African popular music. The paper also suggests that the term ‘African pop’ should be adopted as a generic name for all popular music forms in Africa.

Popular music heritage, community archives and the challenge of sustainability

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 476-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Baker ◽  
Jez Collins
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Technological Change ◽  
Popular Music ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
Country Music ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Community Archives

This article identifies the challenges community archives of popular music face in achieving medium- to long-term sustainability. The artefacts and vernacular knowledge to be found in community archives, both physical and online, are at risk of being lost ‘to the tip’ and, consequently, to ‘cultural memory’, due to a lack of resources and technological change. The authors offer case studies of the British Archive of Country Music, a physical archive, and an online Facebook group Upstairs at the Mermaid, to exemplify how and why such groups must strategize their practices in order to remain sustainable. By including both online and physical community archiving in the scope of this research, the authors find that despite key differences in practice, both archival communities face similar threats of closure. The article concludes with an overview of the general outlook for community archives, and possible solutions to this ongoing issue of sustainable practices and processes for this sector.

Globalization of Latecomer Asian Multinationals and Theory of Multinational Enterprise

2015 ◽  
pp. 103-130
Author(s):  
Wiboon Kittilaksanawong ◽  
Weiqi Dai
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Multinational Enterprise ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Mode Of Entry ◽  
Country Of Origin Effects ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
External Conditions

The fast globalization of latecomer multinationals from Asian emerging economies with impetus has appeared to challenge the established theories of Multinational Enterprise (MNE). This chapter reviews extant theories of MNE and provides areas of refinement and extension to these theories to reflect highly contextualized and unique internal and external conditions of these MNEs. In particular, this chapter provides an analysis of the key theoretical perspectives of MNE and highlights four areas that extend existing theories. These areas include country-of-origin effects, ownership advantages, learning processes, as well as global and industry context for internationalization. These areas of refinement are then illustrated by seven case studies of MNEs from mainland China and Taiwan in their accelerated internationalization and their focus on acquisitive growth strategy in terms of speed of internationalization, target countries, and mode of entry.

El Baile Del Pueblo

2020 ◽  
pp. 225-261
Author(s):  
Sean Bellaviti
Keyword(s):  
Popular Music ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Commercial Music ◽  
Cultural Patrimony ◽  
National Pride ◽  
National Music ◽  
Television Audience

In this final chapter, the author provides a macro perspective of the música típica genre as a form of national music, focusing on the challenges musicians face as performers of a popular commercial music that is, at the same time, firmly rooted in folkloric traditions to which Panamanians remain deeply attached. Through a series of case studies, the author shows that the “pull” of tradition is a constant in música típica musicians’ lives. This is never more evident than in ongoing discussions regarding what to call this music and the challenge of sorting out the demands of baile performance as distinguished from shows patronized by concertgoers, or even viewed by a nation-wide television audience. This sense of música típica’s unchanging nature also lies at the heart of the perplexity and frustration felt by performers when they consider the unrivalled popularity música típica enjoys in Panama even as it is virtually unknown beyond the country’s borders. Finally, when compared to most other forms of popular music in Panama, the sense of national pride provoked by música típica’s connection to folkloric music and the fact that it is embraced by so many Panamanians means that musicians are praised for their contributions to modernizing the genre even as they run the risk of being accused of undermining what is regarded by many Panamanians as the nation’s cultural patrimony.

Psychoeducational and Social Support Interventions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy P. Kropf ◽  
Sherry M. Cummings
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Instrumental Support ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Life Circumstances

In Chapter 9, “Psychoeducational and Social Support Interventions: Theory and Practice,” the history, theory, and application of both of these therapeutic approaches with caregivers and older adults are provided. While differences in structure and context exist, the underlying theoretical perspectives of these approaches are comparable, with goals and outcomes of enhanced coping, increased competence, and decreased stress. The chapter describes the use and practice of psychosocial education to increase knowledge, impart information, and foster skill development among older adults. Likewise, the methods employed in social support interventions to provide opportunities for older individuals to share experiences, foster connections with others in similar life circumstances, and enhance receipt of needed emotional and instrumental support are explained. Case studies demonstrating the use of both approaches with older care providers are included. Finally, the chapter outlines the range of environmental settings in which psychoeducational and social support interventions are commonly employed.

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