Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
artofrecordproduction.com
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
metalstudies.org
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
Power Politics in Practice as Research
Sara McGuinness - University of West London
/// ABSTRACT
As Popular music studies moves into the world of practice based research, researchers are increasingly confronted with ethical issue. These considerations, new to many popular music scholars, are ones which ethnomusicologists and sociologists are used to grappling with. It could be argued that any research choices have an ideological subtext, but in the past researchers tended to research subjects they had no power over: their choices impacted on the subject area but not the practitioner. Moving into the field of Practice based research, working with contemporary practitioners, the researcher is placed in a position where they have the power to actually change things. This brings with it ethical responsibility which needs to be addressed and carefully considered. In this paper I use my research bringing together UK based Congolese and Latin musicians as a case study. I reflect on the multitude of ethical issues encountered, arising from the socio-political climate, cultural norms and expectations. These include issues of mutual trust, shared and conflicting goals and financial considerations. I also touch upon the hidden agenda involved in such a project: the many hours spent on support work not central to the research but essential to it’s continuance and the health and well being of the musicians involved. While my project could be considered an extreme example, it does serve to highlight issues of ideology, social responsibility, the need for flexibility and the level of commitment required of the emic researcher.
crosstowntraffic2018.wordpress.com
This presentation took place as part of the conference Crosstown Traffic: Popular Music Theory and Practice, which was hosted by The University of Huddersfield from September 3 - 5 2018. This event combined the IASPM UK&Ireland Biennial Conference, the 13th Art of Record Production Conference (ARP), an ISMMS conference, and the additional participation of Dancecult.
A recurrent theme within popular music studies has been discussion of how the field can integrate different disciplines and professions, for example exploring both music and its context; involving both practitioners and researchers; and encouraging interdisciplinary and collaborative work. Many different issues make such approaches challenging, and various different popular music focused subject organisations have developed somewhat independently of one another. This conference brought four such groups together, to exchange knowledge, collaborate, and encourage crosstalk.
/// SUPPORT
Popular Music Studies Research Group (PMSRG), University of Huddersfield research.hud.ac.uk/pmsrg/#
Centre for Music, Culture and Identity (CMCI), University of Huddersfield
research.hud.ac.uk/institutes-centres/cmci
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music UK and Ireland Branch (IASPM UK & Ireland)
iaspm.org.uk
Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)
artofrecordproduction.com
Dancecult Research Network (DRN) studies into electronic dance music culture
dancecult-research.net
International Society for Metal Music Studies (ISMMS)
metalstudies.org
/// ORGANIZERS
IASPM UK&I: Rupert Till
ARP: Katia Isakoff, Shara Rambarran
ISMMS: Karl Spracklen
Dancecult: Graham St. John
University of Huddersfield: Jan Herbst, Austin Moore, Lisa Colton, Toby Martin, Catherine Haworth, Mark Mynett
/// CREDITS
This online project was edited, collated, and made available online by Chris McConnell, Jack Zissell, and Colin Frank.
/// PRESENTATION DETAILS
Power Politics in Practice as Research
Sara McGuinness - University of West London
/// ABSTRACT
As Popular music studies moves into the world of practice based research, researchers are increasingly confronted with ethical issue. These considerations, new to many popular music scholars, are ones which ethnomusicologists and sociologists are used to grappling with. It could be argued that any research choices have an ideological subtext, but in the past researchers tended to research subjects they had no power over: their choices impacted on the subject area but not the practitioner. Moving into the field of Practice based research, working with contemporary practitioners, the researcher is placed in a position where they have the power to actually change things. This brings with it ethical responsibility which needs to be addressed and carefully considered. In this paper I use my research bringing together UK based Congolese and Latin musicians as a case study. I reflect on the multitude of ethical issues encountered, arising from the socio-political climate, cultural norms and expectations. These include issues of mutual trust, shared and conflicting goals and financial considerations. I also touch upon the hidden agenda involved in such a project: the many hours spent on support work not central to the research but essential to it’s continuance and the health and well being of the musicians involved. While my project could be considered an extreme example, it does serve to highlight issues of ideology, social responsibility, the need for flexibility and the level of commitment required of the emic researcher.
