What is the power (potential) of music? The proliferation of music and musical cultures on a global scale remains relatively unexplored in theoretical debates about and within Post-structuralism. While there is an extensive and growing literature on the power of the image in the post-war era, there is no similarly oriented literature concerning the power of sound, voice, and music. Why? This exclusion is all the more remarkable when we consider the unparalleled rise of new and unique forms of music in the post-war era, not to mention the importance that music has come to play in our everyday lives. Music is everywhere, and proliferating wildly in its pragmatic, political, and existential contexts. What is this growing love for music, and how is it connected to other things that we love—to unique ways of thinking and living, styles, subcultures, and desires? What are the stakes for thinking and doing music in the post-war era? And what of the efforts to contain this power (potential), both pragmatically (e.g. censorship, the spectacle), and with historicizing, mediated, narratives (e.g. “Behind the Music”). What could it mean, in contrast, to think music “historically” (in Benjamin’s or Foucault’s sense)? That is, what can the power of music do as an unrealized and unknown potential? How is it always and already affecting us? And how is it that the radical immanence (and intimacy) of music so often resists our attempts to theorize and give expression to it?

Crossings seeks articles that enter into composition with the unknown potential of music in the post-war era. The editors are particularly interested in theoretical perspectives that make connections with specific styles and forms of music. In particular, we encourage engagements with so-called “lost,” neglected, or marginalized music(s) of the past (for example, the recent re-discovery of late 60’s garage, psychedelic, and sunshine pop music). Moreover, we encourage scholars with knowledge of, and connections to, specific music cultures to write immanently: that is, from within those cultures.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

—Political Economy of Post-war Music(s)
—Indie Music Culture
—Karaoke
—Turntablism
—Hip-Hop
—Rap
—Psychedelic
—Children’s music
—Lost Music(s)
—Bluegrass
—Music and the Spectacle (Media)
—Music and Affect
—Walls of Sound
—Noise
—Music and Everyday Life
—Bollywood
—Walter Benjamin
—Radio
—Deleuze and Guattari
—(Post) Modern Opera
—Electronic Music
—Silence
—Minimalism
—Experimental Music
—Lounge-Core
—Exotica
—Emo-Core
—Punk
—New Wave
—Disco
—Politics of Music
—Rock N’ Roll
—Voice
—Globalization and World Music
—Air Guitar
—Heavy Metal
—Soul
—Funk
—Reggae
—Technologies of Sound
—Ambient
—Remixing

Submissions should be in MSWord or WordPerfect format, double-spaced, and conform to the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, endnote citation format. Hard copy manuscripts should be submitted in duplicate and should be accompanied by a disk version (IBM compatible 3 1/2" disk). Manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. A style sheet is available in Adobe Acrobat format on-line at:
http://crossings.binghamton.edu/style.pdf.

Additional information can be found at:
http://crossings.binghamton.edu

Send all manuscripts and inquiries by October 1, 2005 to:
Robert C. Thomas and Taras Sak, xings@binghamton.edu
Or,
Crossings
Department of English
P.O. Box 6000
Binghamton University
Binghamton, New York 13902-6000