Discussion Questions for Doubleday
Discussion Questions; for all responses, provide examples and specific line citations.
Remember, each student is asked to provide a minimum total of 12 lines in response to the following questions, using the "Comments" feature below. Please indicate clearly which Discussion Question you are responding to in your comment(s). [Edited to add]: You are encouraged to respond not only to the Questions but also to other seminar members' comments.Also note: Comments function for this set of Questions will be open only through Nov 21 11am; you must complete your comments prior to that deadline.
1. What is the role of “history” or “historical analysis” in this article? Juxtapose this article with Wiora and use this article to reflect upon and critique Wiora.
2. The article is densely referential and very meticulous with detail; why does Doubleday do this?
3. What sorts of historical data does Doubleday employ? With what sorts of goals?
4. How might we regard this approach as a kind of “ethno-history”? What tools might an ethnomusicologist need to draw upon in order to do this kind of work?
5. To what extent does Doubleday use these approaches in order to “redress prior errors”? What might those errors have been? What might have caused those errors? What agenda might inform her work?
6. To what extent might Doubleday’s article be used as a model for other “ethno-histories”? To what extent does her approach address problems ethnomusicology has had with either archival or historical phenomena? In other words, does Doubleday provide models for “history tools” to add to the ethnomusicologist’s methodological toolbox?
7. What is the ethnographic value of myths, lies, inaccuracies, or half-truths? What sorts of insights might analysis of such “fictional” information provide?
8. Doubleday points out that characteristics associated with women as drummers have also been equally associated with other marginal groups: transvestites, eunuchs, gypsies, and similar groups. Several questions arise:
- Why are these various marginal groups linked, treated, or regarded similarly?
- What is the interplay between marginalized social status and the practice of music?
- What is the role of music, ritual, and marginal identity in ritual (and therefore in liminality)?
- What is the relationship of marginality, liminality, and power?
posted by CJS at 1:08 PM
4 Comments:
2 and 7. She states that her goal is to contribute to the ethnography of frame drums and to offer conclusions on gender and instruments. As with her findings, many points of use with frame drums have been associated with outsiders (gypsies, transvestites, prostitutes) in the community, and most current references show that it has kept this mystique in regards to women specifically. I would venture to say that she had to go through a thorough historical review in order to debunk the myths and lies surrounding the instrument. This information was a way to show importance to something that may now be considered unimportant, which includes gender issues in relation to these instruments.
2, 3, & 7
Any understanding of art must be taken in context. The referential tone & meticulous detail in this article may be due, in part, to her understanding of what the reader MUST know about the religious and/or social underpinnings required of its practitioners. To do this, Doubleday seems to have employed religious iconography & text(s), contemporary social commentary, & legal documents (unsure about this one, but it seems to be). This seems to be in part to show what the circumstances were that allowed women (in Middle Eastern countries) to perform ANYTHING in public. In regard to ‘myths, lies, & half-truths’: anything that people perpetuate (whether as god’s truth or man’s) tells us about what they hold in high esteem, what they fear, what they understand, & what they don’t. Based on that, we can glean a better understanding of their art.
2. I think Doubleday is very meticulous with detail and referential with the history of this item because she wants the reader to know everything that has to do with the frame drum. Men have often been biased in giving women credit where credit is due. Doubleday wanted to show that the frame drum has been a big staple in life as a whole and wanted to show that it has mainly been in instrument that is used by women. She cites numerous examples from other articles on this research as well as the Hebrew bible on page 112, last paragraph and top of 113, first full paragraph. These are just a few examples of the usage of the drum and the fact that women played these instrument thousands of years ago and continue to play these instruments today.
3. I think I somewhat answered this question in question 2 but the types of historical data that Doubleday employed was scripture from the Hebrew bible along with countless examples from research of other ethnomusicologists. I think she used this vast amount of data with a goal in mind to show the reader that the frame drum has been widely used for religious purposes as well as non-sacred practices for thousands of years. They have been used in performance settings and even today with women during the Taliban period of the late 21st century, older women have been passing down repertoire of traditional music as best they could. The drum has played a significant part in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Egypt and has spanned religions from Judaism to Christianity to Islam (109, 2nd paragraph).
4. I agree in calling this approach ethno-history. Doubleday has not only shown the research that she did in Afghanistan, but she has used extensive and countless hours of research material about the frame drum to give us a good background into the instrument, how it was used then, and how it is used today. The interesting part is that the frame drum is still pretty much used in the same ways that it was used thousands of years ago. She talks about the different kinds of space and where and when women play this music. Women have had to create their own music space at times because they are still revered as almost primitive in their ways just because they are of a different gender.
7. I do think there is an ethnographic value to the stories of lies, myths, inaccuracies and half-truths. People need to know that such lies are not true and half-truths need to be dispelled so that the real truth may come to fruition. To stay in the dark about such ideas that women playing instruments are satanic (111, 4th paragraph), and that women don’t know how to play such instruments just because they are women is a primitive idea in itself. These lies need to be in the forefront so that they can be falsified and the real truths become evident.
2. Doubleday’s article is very detailed to give her audience all the information they need. I agree with Rob V. that she does this to show us the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of women performing. There is a lot of detail to give us the background information we always need.
7. There is information to be found within myths, lies, inaccuracies and half-truths. They are there because of perspective. Naturally, there is some truth in inaccuracies, myths, half-truths, and lies. It’s like not knowing who or what to initially trust when beginning your research. The goal should be to form the questions to find the truths within the myths, lies, inaccuracies and half-truths. I also like Bob’s insight and examples to how it leads to an understanding of a group’s views and beliefs.
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