Challenge Questions

Agawu wrote a great deal about fictional ethnography. In the end, he seems to suggest that the ethnomusicologist is entitled to some liberties in writing his ethnography; Agawu imagined a scene based on his own life experiences and knowledges of the culture. What are the boundaries that a scholar must observe when he or she writes about a culture? Do these boundaries change if the culture is his own?

Write 2-3 pages about these boundaries, paying specific attention to the ethical concerns of the fieldwork that he must conduct and thinking about the reception of the work when it is published.

In her chapter in Shadows in the Field, Deborah Wong advocates a "new" approach to writing ethnomusicology-she argues for a Performative Ethnography, in which the author both presents the subject as he knows it and reflects on his research at once. How does this writing style differ from Jeff Titon's views, outlined in the same book? How are these two similar? What can future scholars learn from these two authors about writing ethnomusicology?

Think about these questions and the two articles mentioned, and write a 2-3 page response. Look closely at the ways that these two authors write about writing ethnographies.