The foundation of archival methodology is influenced by colonialism and imperialism. This paternalistic system has created a hegemonic environment that has directly influenced archivists working with Indigenous materials. While positive steps have been made, such as the enactment of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990)…[Read more]

This paper explores the role of mobile telecommunication and technology firms (MTTs) in the distribution of recorded music in Ghana and Kenya. These countries both have vibrant music markets with weak formal distribution networks. Limited enforcement of copyright regimes and weak market regulation created new entrepreneurial business models. While…[Read more]

An essay written for the catalog for the exhibition, “Benga: Kenyan Kaleidoscope” (Bureau Sepän). French translation by Gabriella Seemann.

From the catalog:
Se référant à une performance musicale à laquelle il a assisté et impliquant l’un des musiciens les plus en vue du Kenya, Dan Aceda, dans cet essai, ce professeur de la New York Univers…[Read more]

What were the sounds of war in the early modern period? What were the sounds of peace? The period between 1570 and 1750—roughly coincident with the cultural era known in Western contexts as “the Baroque”—was characterized by almost continual conflict in Europe. Whether caught up in the French Wars of Religion, the English Civil War, the Thirty…[Read more]

This Statement on Accessibility replaces what used to be a “Statement on Disability” in my course syllabi. The language in this updated statement reflects changes recommended by disabled colleagues, friends, and family. Please feel free to use and adapt; no credit necessary. I welcome further suggestions.

Metal music has existed in one form or another for about half a century. While the musical style and the culture started out in a relatively unified way, with the ‘extreme turn’ of late 80s and 90s, metal culture stratified. Doom metal, being one of the oldest styles in this newly formed structure, became even more fragmented. Death/doom is such a…[Read more]