Key Concepts in Sociocultural Theory

Ethnomusicology has always been interdisciplinary, and is becoming more so. The student today may encounter concepts from semiotics, linguistics, cultural studies, literary theory, political economy, sociology, cognitive psychology, media studies, sound studies, science and technology studies, organizational studies, and material culture studies, and other disciplines as well. We will examine some of the key concepts of these fields and consider their possible uses in the study of the performing arts. From ‘affordances’ to the ‘type/token distinction,’ from ‘actor-network theory’ to the ‘third-person effect,’ we will learn to apply (and criticize) concepts presupposed by much current socio-cultural theorizing.