1. Themester 2016, Bodies of Sound presentations and panel discussion (3:00:45)

Date:
2016-10-24
Main contributors:
Burnim, Mellonee V. (Mellonee Victoria), 1950-, Pollard, Deborah Smith, Jones, Alisha Lola, Cooper, Tyron
Summary:
As part of the 2016 Themester Beauty, the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) hosted a presentation and panel discussion event in the Grand Hall of the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center. Comprised of IUB faculty members from the departments of Folklore and Ethnomusicology and African American and African Diaspora Studies, as well as a distinguished scholar and guest speaker Deborah Smith Pollard from Michigan State University, the panel explored concepts of beauty in music from two distinct, though related perspectives. Representations of gendered body images, male and female, served as one area of focus, while the second topic explored the body of aesthetic values which distinguish African American performance in ways which not only contrast, but often contradict those preferred by the larger American public.

2. Hot Buttered Soul: The Role of Foodways and Music-making in Building and Sustaining African Ameri... (1:30:22)

Date:
2014-11-10
Main contributors:
Williams-Forson, Psyche A., Cooper, Tyron, Jones, Alisha Lola, Burnim, Mellonee V. (Mellonee Victoria), 1950-
Summary:
A lecture and panel discussion exploring the intersections between sacred and secular African American music genres (funk, soul and gospel, in particular) and the ritual preparation and sharing of foods in promoting and sustaining African American communities, organized as part of Indiana University's Themester 2014 "Eat, Drink, Think: Food from Art to Science." After an introduction by Dr. Mellonee Burnim (Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology), featured guest speaker, Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson (Department of American Studies, University of Maryland College Park) provides a general introduction to the significance of food traditions as a signifier of African American life and culture (approximately 30 minutes). Following are shorter presentations by Dr. Alisha Lola Jones (Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology) and Dr. Tyron Cooper (Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies), who explore unifying linkages between sacred and secular music and traditional African American foodways, signifying the complementary roles these cultural practices play in demarcating various aspects of African American identity. At the conclusion is a brief question and answer session. The panel was held on October 27, 2014, from 4:30-6:00 p.m., in the Grand Hall, Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, at Indiana University, Bloomington. Presented by the Archives of African American Music and Culture; sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences—Themester; Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies; Department of Anthropology; Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology; Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center; Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs; and the Asian American Studies Program.