Medical Anthropology, Alternative & Complementary Medicine, General & Miscellaneous Music, Alternative Medicine - General & Miscellaneous, Music Therapy, Psychotherapy, Physical Anthropology

Musical Healing in Cultural Contexts

Name: Musical Healing in Cultural Contexts
Author: Penelope Gouk
ISBN: 9781840142792

by Penelope Gouk

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Overview

This collaborative work by a group of scholars provides an inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural discussion of how people use music to heal themselves and others, and whether the healing powers of music are universal or culturally specific. They do not address music therapy by trained therapists; rather, the 10 essays refer to the general therapeutic affect of music as a form of recreation and creativity or as part of a liberal education. Edited by Penelope Gouk, Wellcome researcher in the history of medicine at the U. of Manchester. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Synopsis

How do people use music to heal themselves and others? Are the healing powers of music universal or culturally specific? The essays in this volume address these two central questions as to music’s potential as a therapeutic source. The contributors approach the study of music healing from social, cultural and historical backgrounds, and in so doing provide perspectives on the subject which complement the wealth of existing literature by practitioners. The forms of music therapy explored in the book exemplify the well-being that can be experienced as a result of participating in any type of musical or artistic performance. Case studies include examples from the Bolivian Andes, Africa and Western Europe, as well as an assessment of the role of Islamic traditions in Western practices. These case studies introduce some new, and possibly unfamiliar models of musical healing to music therapists, ethnomusicologists and anthropologists. The book contributes to our understanding of the transformative and healing roles that music plays in different societies, and so enables us better to understand the important part music contributes to our own cultures.