Author Description

"Music, Communities, Sustainability traces the genesis of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and its impact on music practices across the globe at a time when diversity and vitality are often at risk. Social, cultural, and technological changes—as well as intolerance, displacement, and ecological threats—challenge the resilience of many communities and their music. With insights from emerging and established scholars involved with UNESCO programs in various ways, this volume documents the rise in awareness that approaching music as ICH has brought. In three parts, it traces the rationale and development of the Convention, explores its effects on the ground in various cultural settings, and identifies gaps in its implementation. In doing so, this volume provides essential background for scholars and other professionals involved with music and cultural sustainability by describing the largest global effort to support musical diversity to date, critiquing discrepancies between ideologies and realities, and offering perspectives for more effective policies and practices"--Publisher's description.