WELCOME to the Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology 2009

You are cordially invited to the Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology on the general theme of Music, Culture and Globalisation. The meeting will be held from 16 – 19 April 2009 and hosted by the Popular Music Studies unit at Liverpool John Moores University (UK). The conference facilities are located in Dean Walters building right in the heart of Liverpool, a buzzing musical city that currently celebrates its status as European Capital of Culture 2008.

Globalisation is one of the most frequently used buzzwords of today, and it is the defining feature of human society in the twenty-first century. This has long been recognised by scholars from across disciplines, and within ethnomusicology, many have sought to understand and explain the phenomenon with the intention of critiquing theories and practices of music and globalisation. Yet how can more recent processes surrounding globalisation be defined and grasped? What are the consequences (both culturally and musically) brought about by the rapid changes surrounding everyone, everywhere in the twenty-first century?

Taking current theories and concepts as a point of departure, the conference seeks to generate new perspectives and understandings on the interrelatedness of music, culture and globalisation through stimulating interdisciplinary and intercultural theoretical dialogues, and thereby moving beyond those conceptualisations that are already established in ethnomusicology and other music-related disciplines. To this end, various guest speakers will be engaged during keynote and plenary sessions to contribute a range of different theoretical perspectives on a more contemporary understanding of music and global culture.

NOTE

Information on all aspects of the conference will be updated regularly on the BFE 2009 conference website. Please save the website URL http://www.bfe2009.net in your favourite folder and check frequently for updates.