Two New Scholarly Books about Our Field

Researcher and author Alix Sarrouy has just published two books relevant to anyone involved in the music for social change field. Music Education Actors: Ethnography in the sociocultural programs El Sistema, Neojiba, and Orquestra Geração (published by Húmus/CICS-NOVA) combines scholarship and action research to focus on three world-class programs of cultural and artistic education in urban areas subject to “social disqualification.” This book is not just for researchers but for any professional who practices social intervention with young people and children, whatever their languages and artistic tools. (And check out Alix’s exploration of the núcleo as a safe space, published by us last year.)

The Art of Building Citizenship: Youth, creative practices and activism (Tinta da China), co-edited by Sarrouy, José Simões, and Ricardo Campos, explores “citizenship arts”—the forms of civic and political participation used by young people on the fringes of institutional politics. The book brings together contributions from social scientists and artists around the world to address four means of building citizenship: the body, sound, image, and technology.

Both books are in Portuguese. To purchase, follow the links above; for a free digital version of Music Education Actors, click here.