Music as a Cultural Phenomenon

Abstract

From an anthropological perspective music is a cultural phenomenon. This means that in order to understand it, one must understand the meanings which are attributed to it through the interaction with the environment wherein it is practiced and produced. In this paper, the concept of music is interpreted through the double role it takes on as a result of that interplay. The first part of the analysis considers music as a cultural “product”, while the second part focuses on its role as a “producer” (of identity). A simple division like this is a useful methodological tool with which I endeavor to highlight not only the fluidity of meaning, but the importance and relevance of music in anthropological study.