32 - The ethics of ethnomusicology in a cosmopolitan age

Summary

In recent ethnomusicological literature, the term 'cosmopolitan' has been invoked to refer to cultural formations that are always simultaneously local and translocal. This chapter discusses the ethics in ethnomusicology within a framework of philosophical thought and commentary. Ethical thinking in ethnomusicology is shaped by the concept of cultural relativism, which has been a powerful force in the ethnomusicological worldview since the mid-twentieth century. The chapter traces the history of discourses about ethics within ethnomusicology, addressing issues within the study and pedagogy of world music that either have been or could be the subject of ethical concern. It addresses the growing move in ethnomusicology and sister fields of scholarship into domains of activism and advocacy. The chapter explores ways in which each individual can articulate ethical codes congruent with his or her research and personal commitments. The existing code of scholarly ethics in ethnomusicology bears traces of its genesis as a guide for a lone scholar in a bounded cultural locale.