Ethnomusicological Perspectives on Autism, Neurodiversity, and Music Therapy

Authors

  • Michael B. Bakan College of Music, Florida State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v14i3.799

Keywords:

Autism, autism spectrum, Asperger's syndrome, neurodiversity, autistic self-advocacy, ethnomusicology, Artism Ensemble, E-WoMP, ethnography, disability studies, Balinese gamelan, relativism

Abstract

In this article, I suggest that a provisional paradigm shift from disability as pathology to disability as neurodiversity has the potential to productively resituate the epistemological orientations of music therapy, both as a field of inquiry and a domain of practice. I draw from my own work on the ethnomusicology of autism, as well as from research and writings in disability studies and autistic self-advocacy, in proposing that the relativistic foundations of ethnomusicology offer a potentially useful alternative and complement to the principally treatment-directed foundations of music therapy.

Author Biography

Michael B. Bakan, College of Music, Florida State University

Michael Bakan is Professor of Ethnomusicology and Head of World Music in the College of Music at Florida State University, where he directs the Balinese gamelan program and the Omnimusica intercultural ensemble. He is the author of the books Music of Death and New Creation: Experiences in the World of Balinese Gamelan Beleganjur and World Music: Traditions and Transformations. Bakan’s many articles have appeared in journals including Ethnomusicology, Asian Music, College Music Symposium, and Ethnomusicology Forum, and as book chapters in several edited volumes. His current research on the ethnomusicology of autism has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and other agencies. He serves as series editor for the Routledge Focus on World Music Series, was formerly president of the Society for Ethnomusicology’s Southeast/Caribbean Chapter, and is an active composer and professional percussionist. He has been an invited lecturer or visiting professor at numerous institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Indiana universities; the universities of Chicago, Texas, and Washington; and the Berklee College of Music.

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Published

2014-10-21

How to Cite

Bakan, M. B. (2014). Ethnomusicological Perspectives on Autism, Neurodiversity, and Music Therapy. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v14i3.799

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 3 (2014): Special Issue on Music Therapy and Disability Studies

Section

Invited Submission - Special Issue

License

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