The Sonic Gaze: Jazz, Whiteness, and Racialized Listening

Black and Creole thinkers argue that mainstream, white-dominated culture consumes sounds and images of Creole and Black people while ignoring critiques of the white consumption of black culture. This book argues that whiteness is not only a visual orientation but also a way of hearing and introduces the notion of the white sonic gaze. It builds a phenomenological archive to demonstrate the bad habits of 'white listening' and portrays six types of bad faith white listeners. Connecting critical race studies, music studies, philosophy of race, and existentialism, the book is for students to learn how to critique the phenomenology of whiteness and practice decolonial listening.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

A significant critique raised by Black and Creole thinkers pertains to the mainstream, white-dominated culture's consumption of sounds and images of Creole and Black individuals in music, theater, and the white press, while simultaneously disregarding critiques of white consumption of black culture. Interestingly, critiques of whiteness can be found not only in black literature and media, but also within the blues, jazz, and spirituals that whites listened to, loved, collected, and archived.

This book presents a compelling argument that whiteness extends beyond mere visual orientation and encompasses a way of hearing. Drawing inspiration from the profound formulations of race and whiteness in the existential writings of renowned figures such as Frantz Fanon, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, W.E.B. Du Bois, Richard Wright, Lewis Gordon, Angela Davis, bell hooks, and Sara Ahmed, T. Storm Heter introduces the concept of the white sonic gaze. Through detailed case studies and musical examples from the rich history of American jazz, the book establishes a phenomenological archive to expose the harmful habits of 'white listening.' This archive is drawn from black journalism, autobiographies of Creole musicians, and the lyrics and sonic content of early jazz music originating in New Orleans.

By examining white listening orientations on plantations, in vaudeville minstrel shows, and in cabarets, the book paints a vivid portrait of six distinct types of bad faith white listeners. These listeners include the white minstrel listener, the white savior listener, the white hipster listener, the white colorblind listener, and the white exploitative listener. By connecting critical race studies, music studies, philosophy of race, and existentialism, this book offers valuable insights for students seeking to critique the phenomenology of whiteness and cultivate decolonial listening practices.

Weight: 286g
Dimension: 231 x 153 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538162620