Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora
As a distinct musical form, blues music from the Mississippi Delta has been extensively studied across various academic disciplines. While much of this attention has treated blues primarily as an auditory experience, I argue that it represents far more than just sound or entertainment. This research...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| author | John Byron Strait |
| author_facet | John Byron Strait |
| author_sort | John Byron Strait |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As a distinct musical form, blues music from the Mississippi Delta has been extensively studied across various academic disciplines. While much of this attention has treated blues primarily as an auditory experience, I argue that it represents far more than just sound or entertainment. This research project examines Delta blues as a comprehensive cultural phenomenon, exploring its evolution through a series of distinct diffusionary pathways that reveal complex global interactions and transcultural exchange. This study posits that Delta blues emerged from a broad cultural milieu, shaped by multiple layers of geographical processes ranging from ancient African trade routes to twentieth-century migration patterns. I position Delta blues within the context of the African diaspora, emphasizing not only its strong roots in African and African American cultural traditions but also its crucial role as a vehicle for cultural resistance and consciousness-raising. By mapping the evolution of blues music and culture through specific circuits of exchange, I illuminate the intricate interrelationships between different peoples and places across time and space. This approach reveals how global interactions generated a unique musical and cultural expression that both embodies and transcends the complex social dynamics inherent in the African diaspora. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-299573bc06d54676a717fff514b8dbe9 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2313-5778 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genealogy |
| spelling | doaj-art-299573bc06d54676a717fff514b8dbe92025-08-20T02:11:19ZengMDPI AGGenealogy2313-57782025-02-01911410.3390/genealogy9010014Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African DiasporaJohn Byron Strait0Department of Environmental & Geosciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341, USAAs a distinct musical form, blues music from the Mississippi Delta has been extensively studied across various academic disciplines. While much of this attention has treated blues primarily as an auditory experience, I argue that it represents far more than just sound or entertainment. This research project examines Delta blues as a comprehensive cultural phenomenon, exploring its evolution through a series of distinct diffusionary pathways that reveal complex global interactions and transcultural exchange. This study posits that Delta blues emerged from a broad cultural milieu, shaped by multiple layers of geographical processes ranging from ancient African trade routes to twentieth-century migration patterns. I position Delta blues within the context of the African diaspora, emphasizing not only its strong roots in African and African American cultural traditions but also its crucial role as a vehicle for cultural resistance and consciousness-raising. By mapping the evolution of blues music and culture through specific circuits of exchange, I illuminate the intricate interrelationships between different peoples and places across time and space. This approach reveals how global interactions generated a unique musical and cultural expression that both embodies and transcends the complex social dynamics inherent in the African diaspora.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/9/1/14geographymusical culturediffusiontranscultural exchangeAfrican diaspora |
| spellingShingle | John Byron Strait Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora Genealogy geography musical culture diffusion transcultural exchange African diaspora |
| title | Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora |
| title_full | Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora |
| title_fullStr | Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora |
| title_short | Soundscapes of Resistance: Delta Blues and the Transcultural Journeys of the African Diaspora |
| title_sort | soundscapes of resistance delta blues and the transcultural journeys of the african diaspora |
| topic | geography musical culture diffusion transcultural exchange African diaspora |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/9/1/14 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johnbyronstrait soundscapesofresistancedeltabluesandthetransculturaljourneysoftheafricandiaspora |