Musical Cultures of Modern India

Catalog description

How can we understand the social, political, and religious dimensions of modern India through its music? This course introduces students to key themes that undergird the history and practice of music India across a range of musical genres and subregions. We explore music on the modern Indian subcontinent as it relates to colonialism, nationalism, caste, class, gender, and religion. Topics include the twentieth-century reinvention of “classical music”; the popular music of Bollywood; Dalit musical traditions; the soundscapes of hip-hop, clubbing culture, and queer nightlife in South Asian contexts and more. We also critically unpack the making of normalized categories such as “folk” and “classical,” illuminate marginalized histories of non-elite performers, ask questions about profession and livelihood, and think about the role of the state as patron of the arts. The course involves lectures, interactive engagements with live performance, film screenings, and class discussions and presentations.