Applied ethnomusicology is an approach guided by principles of social responsibility, which extends the usual academic goal of broadening and deepening knowledge and understanding toward solving concrete problems and toward working both inside and beyond typical academic contexts (International Council for Traditional Music 2007). This edited volume is based on the first symposium of the ICTM's Study Group on Applied Ethnomusicology in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2008 that brought together more than thirty specialists from sixteen countries worldwide. It contains a Preface, an extensive Introduction, and twelve selected peer-reviewed articles by authors from Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Slovenia, Serbia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, divided into four thematic groups. These groups encompass: diverse perspectives on the growing field of applied ethnomusicology in various geographical and problem-solving contexts; research and teaching-related connotations; the potential in contributing to sustainable music cultures; and the use of music in conflict resolution situations. The edited volume Applied Ethnomusicology: Historical and Contemporary Approaches brings together previously dispersed knowledge and perspectives, and offers new insights to various disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. Rooted in diverse scholarly traditions, it addresses a variety of challenges in today's world and aims to benefit the quality of human existence.
About the Author: Klisala Harrison is Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Fellow in Ethnomusicology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Her recent and upcoming publications include articles in MUSICultures, and McGill-Queen's University Press' anthology on Aboriginal Canadian music. She serves as Vice-Chairperson of the ICTM's Study Group on Applied Ethnomusicology. Elizabeth MacKinlay is Senior Lecturer in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. She earned doctorates in Ethnomusicology and Education, and has contributed to numerous articles, book chapters and edited works, including Disturbances and Dislocations: Understanding Teaching and Learning Experiences in Indigenous Australian Women's Music and Dance (2007). Svanibor Pettan is Professor and Chair of the Ethnomusicology Program at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His publications include studies on music in relation to conflict and minorities, and in 2008 he edited a volume of Musicological Annual dedicated entirely to applied ethnomusicology. He serves as Vice-President of the ICTM and Chairperson of its Study Group on Applied Ethnomusicology.