Uncommon Sense Listening, with Les Back
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Jan 20, 2023 Les Back, a sociologist and author of "The Art of Listening," dives deep into the complexities of sound and listening in society. He discusses how a focus on listening can challenge visual-centric narratives and highlights the link between music and sociology. The conversation examines the hidden biases in everyday interactions and the impacts of cultural appropriation in music. Back emphasizes the necessity of a critical approach to our senses and the importance of inclusive communication in addressing social inequalities.
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Sound Reveals Everyday Life
- Thinking with sound invites attention to everyday life beyond spectacular events.
- It broadens sociology's scope to include mundane background phenomena often overlooked.
Listening Not Inherently Superior
- Listening is not inherently superior to looking and can be corrupted by power.
- Ethical and political understanding is needed for how we attend to the world.
Sociologists and Music Intersect
- W.E.B Du Bois used spirituals to set the tone of his pioneering sociology on African American life.
- Many sociologists, like Max Weber and Paul Gilroy, were also musicians, linking music and sociological insight.
