Black Lives Matter and Music
Protest, Intervention, Reflection

Fernando Orejuela (Edited by), Stephanie Shonekan (Edited by), Portia K. Maultsby (Foreword by), Fernando Orejuela (Contributions by), Stephanie Shonekan (Contributions by), Langston Collin Wilkins (Contributions by)

9780253038425

Paperback / softback, published 10 August 2018

144 pages, 3 b&w illus
22.9 x 15.2 x 0.8 cm, 0.295 kg

"[A]book for our time that is right on time."—Journal of Folklore Research
"[T]his book should inspire activists, scholars, and those who fall on both sides to conduct research globally on the topics explored, since anti-blackness is a worldwide issue. All people should know the depth of power music can spark in activists, scholarly and non-scholarly alike, and how music can mobilize significant change in the world."—Western Folklore
"[This] volume is written from the heart of the BLM movement: the authors' stance as politically committed, or 'engaged,' scholars lends the work an immediacy poignantly buttressing its academic value."—Paul Austerlitz, author of Jazz Consciousness: Music, Race, and Humanity

Music has always been integral to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, with songs such as Kendrick Lamar's "Alright," J. Cole's "Be Free," D'Angelo and the Vanguard's "The Charade," The Game's "Don't Shoot," Janelle Monae's "Hell You Talmbout," Usher's "Chains," and many others serving as unofficial anthems and soundtracks for members and allies of the movement. In this collection of critical studies, contributors draw from ethnographic research and personal encounters to illustrate how scholarly research of, approaches to, and teaching about the role of music in the Black Lives Matter movement can contribute to public awareness of the social, economic, political, scientific, and other forms of injustices in our society. Each chapter in Black Lives Matter and Music focuses on a particular case study, with the goal to inspire and facilitate productive dialogues among scholars, students, and the communities we study. From nuanced snapshots of how African American musical genres have flourished in different cities and the role of these genres in local activism, to explorations of musical pedagogy on the American college campus, readers will be challenged to think of how activism and social justice work might appear in American higher education and in academic research. Black Lives Matter and Music provokes us to examine how we teach, how we conduct research, and ultimately, how we should think about the ways that black struggle, liberation, and identity have evolved in the United States and around the world.

Foreword / Portia K. Maultsby
Acknowledgments
Introduction to Black Lives Matter and Music: Protest, Intervention, Reflection / Fernando Orejuela
1. BlackMizzou: Music and Stories One Year Later / Stephanie Shonekan
2. Black Matters: Black Folk Studies and Black Campus Life Matters / Fernando Orejuela
3. Blackfolklifematters: SLABs and The Social Importance of Contemporary African American Folklife / Langston Collin Wilkins
4. BlackMusicMatters: Affirmation and Resilience in African American Musical Spaces in Washington, D.C. / Alison Martin
5. Black Detroit: Sonic Distortion Fuels Social Distortion / Denise Dalphond
Conclusion: Race, Place, and Pedagogy in the Black Lives Matter Era / Stephanie Shonekan
Index