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Sounds of Aliyah: A journey towards a sonic methodology for diaspora studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2021

Carter Weleminsky
Carter Weleminsky*
Affiliation:
Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This qualitative inquiry into contemporary experiences of human migration, focusing on Anglo olim (English-speaking Jewish diaspora immigrants to Israel) uses interdisciplinary soundscape composition as its primary method. This project is opportune, given the lack of scholarship utilising sound to explore diaspora and Jewish identity. The compositional process was led by the experiences of the interviewees, blending sounds from places familiar to them, melodies and sonic symbolism that mark the seasons of the Jewish year and their own voices telling the story of their journeys. The composition is multilayered, allowing for a rich insight into the in between that diaspora communities inhabit, both in the place they live and in the place they left behind. This article discusses methodological decisions throughout the different stages of the project, with the aim to encourage readers to develop their own work utilising sound to investigate diaspora communities. This investigation sits at the crossroads between the aesthetic concerns connected to the ‘art’ of soundscape composition and the ethical considerations of the ‘science’ of social inquiry. The article concludes that sound studies, and soundscapes in particular, is an especially apt and rich avenue for study of diaspora identities and the oral traditions that underpin them.

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Article
Information
Organised Sound , Volume 26 , Issue 2: Socially Engaged Sound Practices , August 2021 , pp. 265 - 274
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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