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Music Making and Sustainable Futures
  • ISSN: 1752-6299
  • E-ISSN: 1752-6302

Abstract

In this article, I consider how community music-making can help people become more engaged in climate action and responsible consumption. These are two of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Through ethnographic fieldwork, I demonstrate how my lived experiences at two Ethno gatherings impacted my engagement with climate action (SDG13) and consumption and production (SDG12). Ethnos are JM International’s annual multi-sited, youth folk-music gatherings. They are active in over forty countries. Their mission is to revive, invigorate and disseminate global traditional musical heritage and to promote ideals such as peace, tolerance and understanding. Following a critique of the concept of sustainability, I explore how two musical gatherings impacted my responsiveness to environmental sustainability. This postdoctoral ethnographic research was conducted in 2019 and 2020 at Ethno England and Ethno New Zealand as part of Ethno Research. I demonstrate how these gatherings addressed environmental concerns through organizational processes, and how the location of the gatherings solidified the relationship between participatory music-making and nature. Finally, I consider the value of the broader social impact of these gatherings in relation to the climate emergency.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • JM International and Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
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/content/journals/10.1386/ijcm_00108_1
2025-01-30
2025-03-15
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