How the World Listens: The Human Relationship with Sound across the World

Cover
Half Title
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of figures
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Introduction
	Origins and precedent
		The habitus
		Sociocultural theory
1 Sound and theory
	Asking the right questions
	A (quite) brief review of sound theory and perspectives
		What is sound?
		Sound as a soundwave
		Sound as an object or an event (or both […] or neither)
	Extending sound theory even further
		Beyond the acoustic definition
		What is listening and how is sound controlled?
		Typologies of listening
		The function of sound
		Acoustic ecology
	Chapter 1 summary: questions begetting questions
2 Sound and research
	The madness, the methodology, and the method
		The chain of study design and its four links
		The research onion
	Approaching ethnography
		Qualitative v. quantitative
		The function and values of ethnography (and when to use it)
		Some key trends in ethnography
		Autoethnography
		Is ethnography the right choice for studying sound?
	Making sense of sound studies
		Ethnomusicology, for a bit of history
		Does sound studies actually study sound?
		Approaches to sound studies
	So, you want to do some interviews?
		When and how to use an interview
		The ethnographic interview
		Analysing interview results
	How can technology help?
	The method for this book
	Chapter 2 summary: so, how did it all go then?
3 Sound and meaning
	Immediate reactions
	Emergent themes
		Objective aspects of sound
		Meaning through definition
	Perceptual responses
		Immersion and persistence in sound
		The listener
	Functions and values
		The affordances of sound
		The value of sound
	Affect and identity
		Feeling and the emotional aspects of sound
		Sound and spirituality
		Meaning through work
	Chapter 3 summary: the meaning of sound’s meaning
4 Sound and culture
	Themes of culture and sound in research
		How should we be defining ‘culture’?
		Earlier research
		More contemporary perspectives
	Initial thoughts from the interviews
		Short and sweet responses
		Detailed, and a little more intimate
	Emerging topics for further discussion
		The sound of coffee
		Synaesthesia
		Music and culture
		Local, historical, and seasonal effects
		Voice and language
		Religion and ceremony
	Chapter 4 summary: “not something I normally think about”
5 Sound and place
	How does the world sound?
		Conceptualising the soundscape
		Continental soundscapes
		The Big Ice
		Application of soundscape studies
	Some local perspectives
		A question of sport
		The quiet revolution of electric vehicles
	Europe and the Russian Federation
		Sonic boundaries and the sounds of city and countryside
		Meteorological effects
	Asia and Oceania
		Defining the Eastern soundscape
		Different beeps and louder dogs
		Soundscapes and routine
		Common features, topology, and long-term human influences
	The Americas
		Biodiversity and the effects of migration
		The calls of commerce
	Africa
		Tradition and spirituality
		Transportation
	A brief epilogue: sound everywhere and nowhere
	Chapter 5 summary: there’s a lot going on
6 Sound and everyday experience
	How does sound function in your everyday life?
		Background sound
		Situational awareness
		Challenges with sound
	What is your relationship with sound within your home?
		Outside sound sources and architectural effects
		Sources of sound from inside the home
		Sound, stress, anxiety, and relaxation in the home
	Good and bad sounds in an everyday context
		Pre-interview observations
		The good, the bad, and the “well, it depends…”
	The etiquette of sound
		Sound etiquette in domestic life
		Respectful sound in public
	Chapter 6 summary: who doesn’t like the sound of a crow cawing?
7 Sound and professional practice
	How does sound feature in your profession?
		Communication and feedback
		Sonic warfare
	Sound professional by industry
		Digital games
		Film and theatre
	Sound professionals’ relationships with sound
		Awareness and readiness to capture
		Impact on everyday enjoyment
		Changes in perspective
		Perceptual effects
	Cultural factors, expectations, and creative response
		Cultural effects on practice
		Universality and concerns over detracting from the art
		Different standards and expectations
		The return of the East-West dichotomy
		A few further examples
	Chapter 7 summary: on the verge of global sound?
Conclusion
Final answers
	Is the human relationship with sound different around the world?
	What did you learn from your autoethnography?
	Do you still hate qualitative research?
Index