2011-2012
News Release
REF NO.: 120
SUBJECT: Memorial’s School of Music spotlights research in lecture and colloquium
DATE: February 21, 2012
A day of events hosted by Memorial’s School of Music will highlight the work of many of their own.
Dr. Beverley Diamond, Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology and Trudeau Fellow, is delivering her Trudeau Lecture on Saturday, Feb. 25. Her topic is “Re” Thinking: Revitalization, Return, and Reconciliation in Contemporary Indigenous Expressive Culture.
This talk will examine the many words beginning with “re” in Indigenous studies, particularly as they relate to Aboriginal music.
“Dr. Diamond is internationally renowned for her important work on music and indigenous modernity,” said Dr. Ellen Waterman, dean of the School of Music. “Her work helps us to understand the complex social and political realities of Canada’s relationship with its Aboriginal peoples.”
Dr. Diamond will explore many questions surrounding who uses which “re” words and within what cultural framework. For example, “Who can speak/sing about removal and relocation, processes central to the colonization process?” and “Why is revitalisation used when perhaps vitalisation is meant?”
“I then consider a difficult “re” word – the process of reconciliation,” said Dr. Diamond, “which gave rise to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2010 apology for 130 years of residential schools and gave rise to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that is currently at work.”
By examining how Aboriginal musicians and other artists have circled back to memories of the past to create powerful work that speaks about the experiences and impacts of the residential school system, Dr. Diamond ultimately examines how “re”thinking might shift approaches to cultural rights.
“This talk was first presented at the 2011 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences as part of Dr. Diamond’s responsibilities as a 2009 Trudeau Fellow,” said Dr. Waterman. “Dr. Diamond is a wonderful speaker – thoughtful, critical and always very humble in her approach to discussing sensitive cultural issues. This is real-world scholarship about issues that touch the heart of our culture.”
The lecture starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Innovation Theatre (IIC-2001) in the Bruneau Centre. It is free to attend and all are welcome.
Also open to the public and happening that day is the inaugural MUN Colloquium on Music Scholarship, which will be held at the MMaP Gallery from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. A full schedule of events can be found online at www.mun.ca/music.
The inaugural MUN Colloquium on Music Scholarship is a celebration of undergraduate and graduate student writing and research in the School of Music.
In several sessions throughout the day on Feb. 25, students will be given the chance to present papers on their research and talks on their creative work.
“When people think about the School of Music, our fine tradition of performance is probably what first comes to mind,” said Dr. Waterman. “The MUN Colloquium on Music Scholarship and Dr. Diamond’s Trudeau Lecture demonstrate that the world of musical research is also diverse, stimulating and relevant.”
REF NO.: 120
SUBJECT: Memorial’s School of Music spotlights research in lecture and colloquium
DATE: February 21, 2012
A day of events hosted by Memorial’s School of Music will highlight the work of many of their own.
Dr. Beverley Diamond, Canada Research Chair in Ethnomusicology and Trudeau Fellow, is delivering her Trudeau Lecture on Saturday, Feb. 25. Her topic is “Re” Thinking: Revitalization, Return, and Reconciliation in Contemporary Indigenous Expressive Culture.
This talk will examine the many words beginning with “re” in Indigenous studies, particularly as they relate to Aboriginal music.
“Dr. Diamond is internationally renowned for her important work on music and indigenous modernity,” said Dr. Ellen Waterman, dean of the School of Music. “Her work helps us to understand the complex social and political realities of Canada’s relationship with its Aboriginal peoples.”
Dr. Diamond will explore many questions surrounding who uses which “re” words and within what cultural framework. For example, “Who can speak/sing about removal and relocation, processes central to the colonization process?” and “Why is revitalisation used when perhaps vitalisation is meant?”
“I then consider a difficult “re” word – the process of reconciliation,” said Dr. Diamond, “which gave rise to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2010 apology for 130 years of residential schools and gave rise to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that is currently at work.”
By examining how Aboriginal musicians and other artists have circled back to memories of the past to create powerful work that speaks about the experiences and impacts of the residential school system, Dr. Diamond ultimately examines how “re”thinking might shift approaches to cultural rights.
“This talk was first presented at the 2011 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences as part of Dr. Diamond’s responsibilities as a 2009 Trudeau Fellow,” said Dr. Waterman. “Dr. Diamond is a wonderful speaker – thoughtful, critical and always very humble in her approach to discussing sensitive cultural issues. This is real-world scholarship about issues that touch the heart of our culture.”
The lecture starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Innovation Theatre (IIC-2001) in the Bruneau Centre. It is free to attend and all are welcome.
Also open to the public and happening that day is the inaugural MUN Colloquium on Music Scholarship, which will be held at the MMaP Gallery from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. A full schedule of events can be found online at www.mun.ca/music.
The inaugural MUN Colloquium on Music Scholarship is a celebration of undergraduate and graduate student writing and research in the School of Music.
In several sessions throughout the day on Feb. 25, students will be given the chance to present papers on their research and talks on their creative work.
“When people think about the School of Music, our fine tradition of performance is probably what first comes to mind,” said Dr. Waterman. “The MUN Colloquium on Music Scholarship and Dr. Diamond’s Trudeau Lecture demonstrate that the world of musical research is also diverse, stimulating and relevant.”
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