Mapping (Post)colonial Paris by Ear

The urban (post)colonial condition is explored through the lens of French colonial history and its impact on the streets of Paris, particularly in the Parisian quartiers populaires. Music and sonic production have been closely linked to social movements, with genres like hip-hop and raï being associated with political resistance and the urban spaces of Paris's racialized neighborhoods. This Element reinvents the bourgeois figure of the flâneur as a feminist-decolonial activist and reconfigures listening as a spatial practice of mapping the city. The discrete binaural microphones used by the field recordist capture a range of sounds, from Franco-Maghrebi musical dissent to police brutality and carceral capitalism, as well as transcolonial reverberations with struggles elsewhere.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 75 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The urban (post)colonial condition manifests in a complex tapestry of sounds and rhythms that resonate through the streets of Paris, particularly in the vibrant quartiers populated by diverse communities. France's colonial history, deeply embedded in its musical and sonic landscape, finds its echo in the present day. Genres like hip-hop and raï, which originated in France's urban spaces, have become powerful vehicles for political resistance and social commentary, addressing the issues of race, class, and identity in the city.

This Element delves deeper into these connections, exploring how musical and sonic production intertwine with contemporary antiracist and environmental movements. By adopting the perspective of an urban field recordist, it reimagines the traditional figure of the flâneur as a feminist-decolonial activist. Listening becomes an explicitly spatial practice, akin to mapping the city, as the discrete binaural microphones tucked in the recordist's ears capture a wide range of sounds and sensations.

From the melodic dissent of Franco-Maghrebi musicians to the echoes of police brutality and carceral capitalism, the urban field recordist's recordings encapsulate the multifaceted realities of the urban (post)colonial condition. They also reveal the transcolonial resonances, highlighting how struggles in France's former colonies continue to shape the city's social and political landscape.

Through this lens, Paris emerges as a vibrant laboratory for the exploration of the intersection of music, sound, and social justice. The city's streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces become sites of sonic inquiry, where the urban field recordist listens attentively, documenting the sounds and stories that shape the urban (post)colonial condition.

Weight: 138g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009054652