The Role of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Decolonizing Music Curricula: Intercultural Approaches in School Education
Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v5i6.3432
Abstract
This study explores the integration of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), particularly Peking Opera, into elementary school music curricula in northern China to decolonize education and foster intercultural understanding. Using postcolonial theory and intercultural pedagogy, it examines how ICH disrupts Eurocentric dominance in music education and promotes cultural pride. Data from observations, journals, and interviews with 35 students reveal increased engagement and critical re-examination of cultural narratives. The study highlights ICH as a tool for decolonization but emphasizes the need for systemic support and further research on diverse contexts to enhance its application in music education.
Keywords
intangible cultural heritage (ICH); decolonizing music education; intercultural pedagogy; Peking Opera in school curricula
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[3]Bohlman, P. V. (2020). World Music: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University PressOxford EBooks.
[4]Bond, V. L. (2017). Culturally Responsive Education in Music Education: A Literature Review. Contributions to Music Education, 42, 153–180.
[5]Byram, M. (1997). title: Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence Multilingual Matters (Series).
[6]Chima Abimbola Eden, Onyebuchi Nneamaka Chisom, & Idowu Sulaimon Adeniyi. (2024, March 17). CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN EDUCATION: STRATEGIES FOR FOSTERING INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY AWARENESS. ResearchGate; Fair East Publishers.
[7]Frank, R. J. (2023, June 6). The Funnel of Knowledge: The Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing Culturally Diverse Music in Music Education.
[8]Freire, P. (1968). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic.
[9]Howard, K. (2016). Music as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Routledge.
[10]Kaghondi wamwa Mwanga. (2024). On decolonising music diversity in/and higher education. Music Education Research, 1–12.
[11]Mignolo, W. D. (2011). The Darker Side of Western Modernity. Duke University Press.
[12]Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. (2022, April 8). Notice of the Ministry of Education on Printing and Distributing the Compulsory Education Curriculum Programme and Curriculum Standards (2022 Edition) - Government Portal of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.
[13]Patricia Campbell. (2010). Songs in their heads : music and its meaning in children’s lives. Oxford University Press.
[14]Qin, X. (2024). Collaborative inquiry in action: a case study of lesson study for intercultural education. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 9(1).
[15]Quijano, A., & Ennis, M. (2000). Coloniality of Power, Eurocentrism, and Latin America. Nepantla: Views from South, 1(3), 533–580.
[16]R’boul, H. (2021). North/South imbalances in intercultural communication education. Language and Intercultural Communication, 21(2), 1–14.
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