Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

A challenge for interdisciplinary researchers is the balance of scholarly referentiality across the arts, i.e. after the research topic has been chosen, how can the researcher ascertain that the project is unique and does not duplicate existing published research; how does the researcher gather pertinent literature and materials for the study to provide for a scholarly and methodologically sound basis; and finally how does the researcher accomplish this foundational work, cutting across linguistic boundaries (i.e. taking into consideration existing studies in foreign languages) and taking into consideration the global research community. Relying on digital tools such as RILM Abstracts, a comprehensive bibliography on writings about music and the arts, this workshop addresses these challenges from several angles. Using selected case studies on the conference theme “History/Histories,” the first part demonstrates the very initial steps for researchers how to remedy the obstacles outlined above. The case studies show how well-curated full-text resources can be helpful in getting a research project started. The second part seeks to respond to specific issues put forward by the attendees. Everybody is welcome to send in ahead of time project ideas or stalled projects, as well as dilemmas with research projects to Tina Frühauf at tfruhauf@rilm.org. As such, this workshop is paradigmatic for teaching and learning through and about the arts, while elucidating emerging technologies, their practices, and agents.