Music is more than just sound – it is an expression, practice and reflection of cultural identities. In the ‘Music Anthropology’ seminar, we approach music as a social practice and cultural phenomenon. Together we will take a look at central questions of cultural and social anthropology: What role does music play in different societies? How does it shape rituals, belonging and social structures? What significance does music have in the context of migration, globalisation and cultural change?

The seminar introduces central topics and concepts of music anthropology and links them with perspectives of transcultural social work. Using selected case studies from different regions of the world, we will analyse musical forms of expression in their social context: How is music physically experienced, embodied and performed? What role do recording technologies, digital media and instruments play in musical expression and dissemination? How is music embedded in religious, political or social rituals? How is belonging – for example to ethnic, social or cultural groups – musically produced, marked or negotiated?

The seminar is a theoretically guided preparation for student’s own projects in transcultural education and social work at Clara Hoffbauer University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.