Title: “Music Tills the Soil of Our Hearts”: Sonic Moments and Anthropology

Speaker: Ju-chen Chen (Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Date: Friday, 22 April 2022

Time: 1-2:30 pm

Mode: Online

Zoom Meeting Link: https://cuhk.zoom.us/j/99550366881

Meeting ID: 995 5036 6881

Passcode: 540690

Abstract:

How does sound work for anthropologists? If fieldwork is, after all, a different way of  knowing, how do  sounds matter? This  talk is based on my venture to understand the economic aspirations of indie musicians conducted over the past few years. It all started from a shocking realization that many well- adored musicians often, year after year, go  into debt so that  the show can go on. I started to attend gigs and worked as a volunteer at music events with the hopes of observing and talking to musicians. Soon, my attention was diverted by another curiosity — the sublime experience  of  live performance. Live music moves people  and  creates community. How does music work on our minds? The yearning to answer this question led me to explore the nature  of  our sonic experience, revealing answers to both the inquiry about the economic aspiration of musicians and the experience of epiphany in anthropological fieldwork.

Bio:

Ju-chen Chen is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Anthropology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.