Home > Events > Music and Tourism in Post-Disaster Economies: A Comparative Study of Post-Katrina New Orleans and Bali after the 2002 and 2005 Bombings

Music and Tourism in Post-Disaster Economies: A Comparative Study of Post-Katrina New Orleans and Bali after the 2002 and 2005 Bombings

Colloquium with Liz Macy, UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology

Wednesday, March 31, 2010
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
B544 Schoenberg Music Building
UCLA Campus
Los Angeles, CA United States

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans continues to face the difficult task of rebuilding its tourism base—an industry constructed around its “holy trinity”: local food, culture, and music. As a city banking on this cultural trifecta, with music at its forefront, New Orleans’ commodified culture in a post-Katrina environment begs for further exploration. Similarly, the terrorist bombings in Bali shocked the island’s inhabitants and visitors alike—clashing with the prevailing view of the island as a peaceful haven from the turmoil of the Western world. Long viewed as the “Island of the Gods,” a veritable island paradise, Bali quickly transitioned into a contested terrorist space. Here, the island’s reliance on cultural tourism has faced a difficult recovery in light of what has been termed Bali’s “Twin Towers” by the media. This talk investigates the place of local music in the process of tourism recovery in post-disaster economies, addressing how music tourism has shaped, and will continue to shape, the rebuilding of New Orleans and Bali as marketable, and bankable, tourism locales.

Cost: Free and open to the public.

Tel: (310) 206-3033
www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu

Sponsor(s): Ethnomusicology