Oral Presentations - Session 2A: UC 326
AUTHENTICITY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO GOGOL BORDELLO
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
James Randall
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Music
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Gogol Bordello is a self-proclaimed “Gypsy-punk” band. The band’s leader, Eugene Hütz, emphasizes the “realness” of his music while challenging the authenticity of other syncretic musics (such as the broadly-defined genre of “world music”). However, Hütz’s legitimacy as a Gypsy musician has been challenged by Roma (Gypsy) individuals in his home country of Ukraine.
To evaluate these contested claims of authenticity, I examine Russian Gypsy music to determine why Hütz’s reputation is in question. I then draw upon the works of James Young, a philosopher at the University of Victoria, who studies the aesthetic and moral implications of cultural appropriation. Young’s theories will serve as a background in my analysis of Gogol Bordello. While traditional definitions of music are valuable and must be considered, it is presumptuous to assume that these definitions are the only ones that matter. As information sharing increases contact between world cultures, conceptions of music as a cultural expression should be open to change.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
AUTHENTICITY AND WHAT IT MEANS TO GOGOL BORDELLO
UC 326
Gogol Bordello is a self-proclaimed “Gypsy-punk” band. The band’s leader, Eugene Hütz, emphasizes the “realness” of his music while challenging the authenticity of other syncretic musics (such as the broadly-defined genre of “world music”). However, Hütz’s legitimacy as a Gypsy musician has been challenged by Roma (Gypsy) individuals in his home country of Ukraine.
To evaluate these contested claims of authenticity, I examine Russian Gypsy music to determine why Hütz’s reputation is in question. I then draw upon the works of James Young, a philosopher at the University of Victoria, who studies the aesthetic and moral implications of cultural appropriation. Young’s theories will serve as a background in my analysis of Gogol Bordello. While traditional definitions of music are valuable and must be considered, it is presumptuous to assume that these definitions are the only ones that matter. As information sharing increases contact between world cultures, conceptions of music as a cultural expression should be open to change.