Musical ethnographies in crisis contexts: definitions, strategies and setbacks

Abstract

The concept of musical ethnography has been widely used but scarcely discussed in Latin America. This article seeks to review the importance of this notion by reviewing its value as a strategy for gathering information in contexts of social crisis. My goal is to synthesize its main trends and modes of implementation and at the same time to highlight its methodological complexity, pointing out aspects that differentiate it from other forms of fieldwork.

The text is divided into two parts. In the first part I explain what ethnography is and how it differs from “musical” ethnographies. I shortly review the literature that has been developed on the subject in English and Spanish and classify ethnographic trends into five: anthropological, ethnomusicological, digital/audiovisual, partial fieldworks and ethnographies of social conflict.

In the second part I address the relationship between music and social crisis. For this I use my own field experience between 2019 and 2021, including my work with the Chilean street group, Banda Dignidad. I highlight the singular character of protest ethnography for its use of the body, forms of social interaction and the presence of ephemeral “live” music. On this last point I emphasize musical aspects that ethnography allows us to see in protest, such as musical arrangements, the sense of rhythm, dancing, the tendency to compress performance to pre-existing musical genres and the value of improvisation. I also highlight methodological problems that arise in political fieldwork, particularly the field design, information overload, the complexities of ethnography at home and the inevitable impact of political changes on the field itself. I close with some conclusions that repeat the above.