Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia
Mah Meri musicians in Malaysia are calling for a revitalisation of community solidarity by adding fragments of new song text to their traditional songs. Intrinsic to the new song texts are narratives of working together, sharing and unity in the community. Through a reexamination of my personal inte...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2023
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108550/1/108550.pdf |
| _version_ | 1825939636084539392 |
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| author | Chan, Clare Suet Ching |
| author_facet | Chan, Clare Suet Ching |
| author_sort | Chan, Clare Suet Ching |
| collection | UPM |
| description | Mah Meri musicians in Malaysia are calling for a revitalisation of community solidarity by adding fragments of new song text to their traditional songs. Intrinsic to the new song texts are narratives of working together, sharing and unity in the community. Through a reexamination of my personal interviews and fieldnotes with these musicians over the past two decades, I posit that their new song texts address social issues that emerged as the village adopted values of modernisation introduced by policies to integrate these people into mainstream society. Rather than outwardly protesting these policies, I argue that Mah Meri musicians challenge top-down hegemonies through a subtle approach of metaphor, rhetoric, and sympathetic appeal in their songs. They direct their efforts inward to their community to rejuvenate and sustain their indigenous values of egalitarianism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-09T02:20:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm.eprints-108550 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-09T02:20:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | upm.eprints-1085502024-10-11T08:58:09Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108550/ Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia Chan, Clare Suet Ching Mah Meri musicians in Malaysia are calling for a revitalisation of community solidarity by adding fragments of new song text to their traditional songs. Intrinsic to the new song texts are narratives of working together, sharing and unity in the community. Through a reexamination of my personal interviews and fieldnotes with these musicians over the past two decades, I posit that their new song texts address social issues that emerged as the village adopted values of modernisation introduced by policies to integrate these people into mainstream society. Rather than outwardly protesting these policies, I argue that Mah Meri musicians challenge top-down hegemonies through a subtle approach of metaphor, rhetoric, and sympathetic appeal in their songs. They direct their efforts inward to their community to rejuvenate and sustain their indigenous values of egalitarianism. Cambridge University Press 2023-10-25 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108550/1/108550.pdf Chan, Clare Suet Ching (2023) Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia. Yearbook for Traditional Music, 55 (1). pp. 33-50. ISSN 0740-1558; eISSN: 2304-3857 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/yearbook-for-traditional-music/article/songs-to-revitalise-community-solidarity-among-the-indigenous-mah-meri-of-malaysia/77272AA3E5BB442C47303B463023E8CE 10.1017/ytm.2023.4 |
| spellingShingle | Chan, Clare Suet Ching Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia |
| title | Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia |
| title_full | Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia |
| title_short | Songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous Mah Meri of Malaysia |
| title_sort | songs to revitalise community solidarity among the indigenous mah meri of malaysia |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/108550/1/108550.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chanclaresuetching songstorevitalisecommunitysolidarityamongtheindigenousmahmeriofmalaysia |