Situating the Rural in Musical Imaginaries of Nation, Region, and Identity

The paper studies the construction of a nation and its people through music – mostly folk and songs of resistance – revealing how cultural aesthetics interact with politics. The identity of a nation is often assimilated and expressed through songs, making them an important means of understanding the ethos of its people. Written by Sumangala Damodaran, the paper was published in the journal Review of Agrarian Studies during January-June 2019.

The paper cites songs popularised during the Tebhaga andolan in Bengal or composed by members of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) in response to people’s uprisings in India’s countryside. These were composed during the early years of independence from British rule. The songs, often set to a folk tune, represented the lives of ordinary people and were “distinct from the cultural traditions of the mainstream nationalist movement as well as commercial theatre” which relied on a sort of territorial nationalism. The rural context thus provided the ground on which various kinds of “people” of the nation came to be identified, Damodaran writes. The music produced by them – both in theme and form – reflected the processes of a nation in the making and its concerns.

In several countries, the paper adds, nationalist movements attempted to classify arts and music that embodied a ‘national’ character, leading to certain forms being marked as “ancient” and “traditional”. On the other hand, “the process involved proscribing forms that were not considered part of the national tradition, as well as censorship of musical forms and artists.” Citing examples from different countries, Damodaran reveals how music impacts national identity both in its ideal and aberration.

Focus by Dipanjali Singh.