Event overview
'African American Rhythm, Music Theory and Whiteness'
The Popular Music Research Unit presents Tom Perchard, giving a lecture on 'African American Rhythm, Music Theory and Whiteness'
Music historians have shown how taxonomic divisions of humanity – constructed in earnest by European anthropology and philosophy from the Enlightenment on – were reflected in 18th and 19th-century theories of musical and cultural evolution, with intellectualized structure always transcending base rhythm, just as light skin supposedly transcended dark. This presentation draws upon and tests concepts from critical race and whiteness theory, and asks whether contemporary music studies continue to reinscribe those racialized mind-body divisions – even despite the best intentions of the writers concerned.
Dr Tom Perchard developed a strong interest in music just in time for hip-hop's so-called ‘golden age’, following which he began exploring the African American music tradition in retrograde, becoming fascinated at first by soul and then by jazz. His interests have subsequently expanded to include various European art musics. Tom took his BMus, MMus and PhD degrees at Goldsmiths. After completion of his PhD he taught and was programme director at the University of Westminster, before returning to Goldsmiths to take up his current post in 2008. His first book, Lee Morgan: His Life, Music and Culture, was published in 2006 by Equinox (London) and was widely reviewed and acclaimed. A book on jazz in postwar France will be published by the University of Michigan Press in 2014. With Professor Keith Negus, Tom is co-director of the Popular Music Research Unit.
All welcome, not just for graduates!
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Nov 2013 | 5:15pm - 6:15pm |
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