Music for Others: Care, Justice, and Relational Ethics in Christian Music

Musical activity is a prevalent and valued form of social interaction in North America and worldwide, with its use as an affective agent for political and religious programs suggesting its ethical significance. Music for Others: Care, Justice, and Relational Ethics in Christian Music fills a scholarly gap by focusing on the religious aspects of musical activity, arguing that relationships are ontological for both human beings and musical activity and that music participates in personal and communal identity construction in affective ways. It concludes that music is ethical when it preserves people in and restores people to just relationships with each other and with God.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2021
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Musical activity holds a prominent and cherished place in North America and beyond, permeating a wide range of social gatherings, from sporting events to political rallies, concerts to churches. Furthermore, its utilization as an emotional tool in political and religious programs implies its ethical significance, a notion that has been widely acknowledged. Surprisingly, despite its profound ethical implications, the ethical dimension of music remains one of the most undertheorized aspects in both moral philosophy and music scholarship.

To address this scholarly gap, Music for Others: Care, Justice, and Relational Ethics in Christian Music takes a focused approach, delving into the religious dimensions of musical activity, particularly within Christian communities. Drawing from extensive ethnomusicological fieldwork conducted at three Protestant churches and a group of seminary students participating in an immersion course at South by Southwest (SXSW), the book integrates theories of discourse, formation, and care ethics, with a restorative justice orientation, to argue that relationships are ontological for both human beings and musical activity. Moreover, it suggests that musical meaning and emotion converge within human bodies, contributing to personal and communal identity construction in affective ways. However, it is important to note that these constructions are not always just.

In light of these insights, Music for Others makes a compelling case that music possesses ethical value when it fosters and restores just relationships among individuals and with God. By examining the ways in which music engages with the world, the book offers a profound exploration of the ethical dimensions of music, shedding light on its potential to shape and transform our understanding of what it means to live in harmony with one another and with the divine.

Weight: 254g
Dimension: 156 x 233 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197550632