Music and Social Hierarchy in Contemporary China A Comparison of Beijing Opera Amateur Sessions and Rock Croups "Parties"

Catherine Capdeville-Zeng (1)

1 ASIES EA 4512 - ASIES

This article addresses two forms of musical events in contemporary China: the ses sions during which Beijing opera amateurs get together , and the "parties" which are organized by rock musicians. Through a comparative analysis of the structure of the two apparently different forms of musical events , the author notes that both events are more than just musical and artistic events in that they both share some of the qualities of being " rituals" in the anthropological sense. The author states that the action of "positioning" , i. e. the way in which participants find their place within the musical series , and "outsider integration" , i. e. the way strangers or outsiders are integrated into the musical event , are deeply linked as complementary parts of the structure that organizes the expression of the social relationships between the participants. This is a relationship that is inclusive , yet at the same time situates everyone within a hierarchy of positions.

Mots clés: Beijing opera; rock music; China; social hierarchy

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie

Catherine Capdeville-Zeng. Music and Social Hierarchy in Contemporary China A Comparison of Beijing Opera Amateur Sessions and Rock Croups "Parties" . Journal of Ethnology, 2014, 5 (4), pp.89-103. ⟨hal-01310046⟩