Skip to Main Content

Guide to BIPOC musicians and related literature

This guide supports research on the musical traditions and scholarship of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) individuals and groups.

Journals

The following journals provide high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship on many different cultural musical traditions:

 

African Music

  • African Music is an annual, peer reviewed, accredited, academic journal established in 1954 by Hugh Tracey, founder of the International Library of African Music. The journal publishes original articles, not previously published, pertaining to contextualized studies of African music and related arts. Since it was re-launched in 2007 it features a CD compilation of audio examples illustrating the articles in each edition, which generally consists of field recordings from the article authors' research.

 

 

 

Asian Music, journal of the Society for Asian Music

  • Asian Music, the journal of the Society for Asian Music, is the leading journal devoted to ethnomusicology in Asian music, publishing all aspects of the performing arts of Asia and their cultural context.

 

 

 

 

Black Music Research Journal, journal of the Center for Black Music Research

  • Begun in 1980, Black Music Research Journal is published in the spring and fall of each year and includes articles about the philosophy, aesthetics, history, and criticism of black music. Many issues are devoted to a single theme, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson or black music in Europe.

 

 

 

Diagonal, journal of the Center for Iberian and Latin American Music

  • Diagonal: An Ibero-American Music Review is the open access online journal of the Center for Iberian and Latin American Music at the University of California, Riverside. Its purpose is to highlight the latest research into the vast musical heritage of Iberia and Latin America, as well as other regions once under Iberian colonial rule whose cultural traditions bear some imprint of Spanish or Portuguese influence, e.g., the Philippines or parts of the United States. The name refers to the fact that the journal's mission cuts across disciplinary and regional boundaries. It accepts contributions in Spanish, Portuguese, or English from scholars in musicology, ethnomusicology, and related disciplines. Diagonal: An Ibero-American Music Review is a peer-reviewed journal with an editorial board, and it conforms to the highest standards of modern humanistic scholarship.

 

Ethno-musicology, journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology

  • As the official journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Ethnomusicology is the premier publication in the field. Its scholarly articles represent current theoretical perspectives and research in ethnomusicology and related fields, while playing a central role in expanding the discipline in the United States and abroad. Aimed at a diverse audience of musicologists, anthropologists, folklorists, cultural studies scholars, musicians, and others, this inclusive journal also features book, recording, film, video, and multimedia reviews. Peer-reviewed by the Society's international membership, Ethnomusicology has been published three times a year since the 1950s.

 

Latin American Music Review

  • Latin American Music Review explores the historical, ethnographic, and socio-cultural dimensions of Latin American music. Each issue contains film, record, and video reviews. Articles appear in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.