Conflict and Reparation: The agency of music in modern monastic community dynamics

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the link in this record.Despite the social climate of individualism and freedom of choice which pervades the early twenty-first century, men and women still feel called to enter monastic life, a decision which brings with it not only vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Monastic life also involves a serious commitment to living in community and, as such community living often presents interrelational problems, the aim of this paper is to use ethnographic data to show the ways in which music acts as a crucial element in communal health and the resolution of social conflict in modern-day monastic communities. A monastic community brings together highly disparate individuals with the sole common aim of a personal theocentric existence: every individual will bring their own attitudes into community, and one of the hardest lessons to be learnt is that of giving up their own will and agenda to pursue this goal, while simultaneously establishing themselves within their own community. Music has always played a major role in monastic life, and chant has long proved an ideal medium for supporting a life of prayer, but recent research in twenty-first-century monasteries and convents has shown that it also has considerable agency in the psychosocial structure of monastic communities. In this paper ethnographic data are used to explore the role of communal singing, and specifically chant, as an integral part of twenty-first-century monastic life, and its impact as a source of both conflict and reparation, division and cohesion. Following a review of the current literature on monasticism and monastic music this paper outlines my own perspective and methodology for the collection and presentation of the ethnographic data; I then present and discuss my findings on the musical implications of joining a religious community, the role played by music in community bonding, and issues of elitism and exclusion which can complicate the ongoing community dynamics, before drawing conclusions on the agency of music in modern monastic life

Tackling the 'difficult' subject: An ethnographic exploration of sexual learning in secondary schools

This thesis examines the different ways in which staff in secondary schools engage pupils around issues of sex, sexuality and relationships. Using material from a one- year ethnographic study in an area of London, it addresses the question of why sex education is such a 'difficult' practice and how we are to account for the problems and inadequacies of current provision. The study is framed within a policy and political climate that has expanded the opportunities as well as the pressures for schools to address the emotional, health and welfare needs of its pupils. New policy initiatives have meant that teacher-led formal sex education now occurs alongside other forms of learning and support facilitated by non-teaching staff. This thesis draws on contemporary literature on sexuality and schooling to examine the significance of these shifts and to explore the factors that constrain or enable communication about sex in different contexts within the school. The first two chapters outline the theoretical and methodological framework for the study. The following empirical chapters are divided into three sections. Chapters 3 and 4 examine the experiences of teachers alongside those of other members of staff with responsibility for addressing issues of sexuality with pupils. These chapters consider professional roles and expectations related to sex education and the factors that determine how and whether staff are able to achieve their goals. Chapters 5 and 6 focus on pupils' accounts of sex education and pupil behaviour in the classroom. Drawing on insights from psychoanalysis, these chapters explore the adolescent needs that lie behind pupils' accounts of SRE and their resistant behaviour in the classroom. Chapters 7 and 8 move away from the classroom and the teacher/pupil dynamic to focus on some of the alternative ways in which issues of sex and sexuality are addressed in schools. They look at pupils' communication practices in non-traditional school settings and at how pupils use these settings to experiment with different forms of subjectivity. In the concluding chapter I argue that the insights gleamed from these alternative spaces forces us to re-examine some of the key assumptions behind sex education as a 'difficult' practice

Australian perspectives on Indigenous music education

This study examined the contextual and philosophical pretexts underpinning the learning and teaching of music indigenous to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean peoples through the eyes of six Australian participants. The personal nature of responses and unique cases posed by each participant were examined through a qualitative multi-case study. Six Australian teachers having worked or working within the fields of Indigenous music education and Indigenous education were interviewed. The findings reveal several motivations for the learning and teaching of Indigenous music and education including the desire to provide a diverse and significant education for all students, particularly Indigenous students, as well as political motivations geared toward attitudinal change. The importance of culture bearers as examples of living practitioners of Indigenous musics was recognised. Culture bearers were also integral to fieldwork practices and were placed in positions of authority within classroom teaching. Challenges identified included cultural sensitivities and protocols, teachers’ positions as ‘outsiders’ of Indigenous cultural traditions, resource production and access to culture bearers. A three-part framework incorporating Indigenous content, processes and perspectives is suggested for classroom practice

Australian perspectives on Indigenous music education

This study examined the contextual and philosophical pretexts underpinning the learning and teaching of music indigenous to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean peoples through the eyes of six Australian participants. The personal nature of responses and unique cases posed by each participant were examined through a qualitative multi-case study. Six Australian teachers having worked or working within the fields of Indigenous music education and Indigenous education were interviewed. The findings reveal several motivations for the learning and teaching of Indigenous music and education including the desire to provide a diverse and significant education for all students, particularly Indigenous students, as well as political motivations geared toward attitudinal change. The importance of culture bearers as examples of living practitioners of Indigenous musics was recognised. Culture bearers were also integral to fieldwork practices and were placed in positions of authority within classroom teaching. Challenges identified included cultural sensitivities and protocols, teachers’ positions as ‘outsiders’ of Indigenous cultural traditions, resource production and access to culture bearers. A three-part framework incorporating Indigenous content, processes and perspectives is suggested for classroom practice

Sexuality, Poverty and Politics in Rwanda

Recent legislative developments in Africa have focused international attention on the legal status of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the continent. Attempts by various African governments to revise or introduce new legislation on same-sex sexual conduct and marriage, and the response of the international community, has sparked extensive coverage of the associated political, social and cultural controversies. Away from the headlines are several African countries that have never criminalised same-sex sexual conduct and that are outliers to the apparent ‘trend’ of homophobia and of discriminatory legislation in the continent. One of these is Rwanda. Compared with the situation in neighbouring countries, state-sponsored homophobia appears negligible in Rwanda, and violent attacks are minimal. Despite negative reports of Rwanda’s human rights record in areas such as civil and political rights, when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity, human rights observers consistently report that there is no need for concern. In the international arena, Rwanda has emerged as an unlikely champion for LGBT rights, and domestically has designated sexual orientation as a ‘private matter’. This study explores Rwanda’s relatively progressive position on LGBT-related issues and its implications for Rwandan civil society. It examines the strategies employed by national as well as international actors to advance LGBT rights and to address social and economic marginalisation.UK Department for International Developmen