Unit

School Of Humanities And Communication Arts

The Politics of Australian MusicWestern Sydney University Unit Code: 102552.1

Discipline: MUSIC

Student Contribution Band: 2

Level: 2

Credit Points: 10

Equivalent Units
101084 - Contemporary Arts 3: Politics and Communities, 101528 - Modes and Codes of Music Production, 102762 - World Music

About this Unit
In 2020 this unit replaced by 102762 - World Music. The unit explores the histories and politics that have shaped the development of Australian music from 1788 to the present day. It critically engages with the historical narrative that perpetuates the dominance of white, post-settler composers and musicians, asking what mechanisms have given rise to some music becoming silenced. How have post-settler musicians approached indigenous music as a challenge that is both aesthetic and ethical? In what ways does the diverse make-up of the Australian population since the mid-twentieth century erode the sharp distinction between the indigenous and the non-indigenous populations in music? Completing this unit will teach students how to critically evaluate Australian music history, to recognise the power of the dominant historical narrative, and to question the assumptions on which it is based. The unit is framed by Attali’s theory of noise, which shows how the production, performance, and consumption of music are linked with power and order in society, and introduces Bourdieu’s field theory.