Grace Wang, “Soundtracks of Asian America: Navigating Race Through Musical Performance”

New Books in Sociology · Nov 9, 2015 · 46m

Many people assume that music, especially classical music, is a universal language that transcends racial and class boundaries. At the same time, many musicians, fans, and scholars praise music’s ability to protest injustice, transform social relations and give voice to the marginalized. There is a tension between the ideas of music as a universal language and the voice of the oppressed. In her new book Soundtracks of Asian America: Navigating Race Through Musical Performance (Duke University Press, 2015), Grace Wang explores how the music and sound, not simply appearance, produces and…