Cohen

In this article, Sara Cohen attempts to rationalize why the study of popular music is lacking in anthropological context, having long been comprised of models abstracted from empirical data. She begins by discussing some of the issues addressed by traditional anthropological studies, such as kinship, ethnicity, identity, society, culture and community [p124].* While observing the broad range of these issues, Cohen then notes the narrow focus of popular music studies: "...lyrical and musical texts may be deconstructed and their 'meaning' asserted, but the important question 'meaning for whom?' is often neglected" [p126]; she traces varying foci from McLuhan to Hebdige to Grossberg to Frith. From these past approaches, Cohen begins to describe the value of ethnographic approaches to connect popular music (and its social context) with specific peoples and individuals, citing Finnegan's description of music's role as a personal 'path' for people in guiding activities and relationships. After describing her own past and present research in various Liverpool music scenes, Cohen expounds the value of ethnographical study: its ability to augment theoretical models, its versatility between macro and micro applications, and its emphasis on interaction, rather than mere observation.

Though she concludes by recognizing the emergence of popular ethnography, I think that this article highlights the fact that academics, disconnected from both mainstream and underground subcultures, do not realize that much of what they consider to be ethnographical study is commonplace to the individual within these respective scenes. Though historically, study was required to mediate the process of documentation, developments of the digital age (such as blogs and online communities) now facilitate the immediate chronicling of popular music and modern life.

Discussion question(s): How can technology directly reconcile the disconnect between popular music and academia? Can technology legitimize publication by younger authors? Will online communities serve as authentic subjects for study? As the Internet emphasizes the 'collective' over the personal, how will the course of popular music ethnography change trajectory?


*(Interestingly, she alludes to the fact that much of the current ethnographical studies of popular culture stems from past anthropological studies of native, foreign peoples. I believe, to read studies that use(d) such a methodology directly colors how the subject is viewed, regardless of the studies' conclusions.)