Study Group “Early African Sound Worlds”

The mission of the IMS Study Group “Early African Sound Worlds” (EASW) is to foster new cutting-edge research on all aspects of music and sound in Africa and the influence of Africa on others from the global antiquity to the medieval and early modern periods (up to 1800 CE), centering on the histories, politics, representations, and cultures of peoples in both Africa and the African diaspora. It is a forum for rich interdisciplinary collaborations and exchanges for scholars at all career stages which explore sources, epistemological problems, and methodological challenges across disciplinary boundaries, including musicology, ethnomusicology, archaeology, history, anthropology, acoustics, architecture, art history, and others. The study group strives to hold an annual meeting, to regularly participate at conferences of various disciplines in the form of themed panels, and to collaborate with parallel groups including the IMS Study Group “Early Music and the New World,” the IMS, AMS, and ICTM Study Groups “Global History of Music,” the ICTM Study Groups “African Musics” and “Sources and Archives for Music and Sound Studies,” and the RSA Discipline “Africana Studies.” Critically, the study group is committed to cultural diversity and aims to be inclusive, equitable, and socially responsible.

Camilla Cavicchi (IT), Janie Cole (ZA)

For a report of recent activities, as well as older reports, see the IMS Publication Archive.