Music, Authenticity and Appropriation February 29, 2008
Posted by vchristm in : arts, culture, diversity, history, language, music , 2commentsDo you have a right to sing the blues? Is appropriation with attribution OK, or is it still using someone else’s property/culture/history? About 15 of us discussed these issues today (2/29/08), and our exploration was guided by Prof. Michael Tratner, Shayna Israel ‘08 and Nikki Lopez ‘10. Some of the additional issues we grappled with included identity, everyday experience, money, access, blame, obscurity, recording, preserving, reproducing, stealing and influence. People spoke from both the heart and the head, sharing information from readings as well as from their own performing history/present. As usual, the discussion looped around a lot of territory in 50 minutes. Although there are many questions that remain, three stood out for me: Whose job is it to tell the cultural story [behind music/a work of art]? Can you ever have the whole story? And can we share that story, or do some people, as originators, own it?
What questions stood out for you? Please continue the conversation!
Beyond Nuclear:Family Diversity at Bryn Mawr College November 16, 2007
Posted by vchristm in : diversity, families, language , add a commentOur gathering for this conversation was small, but how diverse were our experiences around a-typical families! Our discussion ranged from thinking about a new name for Parents’ Weekend (How about Friends and Family Weekend?) to very personal accounts of frustration, pride and laughter around non-normative family situations.
Who Gets to Say What’s Funny? October 29, 2007
Posted by vchristm in : diversity, humor, language , 5commentsWelcome to the Diversity Conversations group blog. We’ll start with the most recent Conversation, Friday, October 26th. We met to examine Who Gets to Say What’s Funny: Humor, Satire and Living in a Diverse Community.
While the Conversation was extremely fruitful, one hour was not enough–as it rarely is when we discuss important topics. We hope you will continue the Conversation online–whether you attended the live discussion or not. Please feel free to contribute your thoughts below.