A Mason as a Musician; a Musician as a Preacher; a Preacher as a Gardener: Research in Popular Music Culture in South Africa
Abstract
Presented article is meant, first, as a brief introduction to South African music studies and some of its specific problems for Czech (ethno)musicological community, second, as a summary of some recent developments in the field and third, perhaps most importantly, as a point of departure for my research in SA popular music culture. As a red thread one basic idea goes through the whole text: problem of essentialism and binary oppositions, how (if it is possible) to go beyond and what methods we can choose to reach this goal.
Drawing on particular examples I plead for broadly based cultural analysis, new comparative approach and ethnographically informed local-scale studies. My findings and suggestions are based on my immediate experience with South African environment ? lasting more than fourteen months between 2005 and 2008 - as both student and field researcher in popular music culture in South Africa and Lesotho.