Local and global intersections of popular music history and heritage

In recent years, heritage discourse has shifted from objects to social, intangible practices. Regarding popular music as an example of intangible heritage, this article considers its transmission across national boundaries, instances of global musical mixing, and the proliferation of new popular music forms where local and global meet. Contrasting accounts of popular music’s co-option by the heritage industry in a global perspective with Laurajane Smith’s discussion of heritage actions forms a framework, where the creation of popular music as heritage in exhibitions and other heritage projects is considered, with audiences regarded as active participants rather than passive consumers. Myth-making processes at the intersection of local and global music traditions, expressed via stories of music heritage, are discussed with reference to Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope. The article draws on a number of case studies of heritage practice in popular music from authors discussing examples in Australia, the Czech Republic, Ghana, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Nigeria, the Philippines, Serbia, Singapore and Tanzania.