Performing Englishness in New English Folk Music and Dance
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sunderland
Department Name: Arts and Design
Abstract
This research investigates a new movement in contemporary English folk music and dance. The cultural context for the research is the resurgence of an interest in 'English Folk' which itself comes in the context of cultural processes like globalization, UK devolution and European federalisation, and attendant academic and public debates about the changing meanings of what it means to be 'British' and 'English'.
The research aims to examine how Englishness as a national identity is being produced in and around this music and dance, what kind of Englishness is being produced, what its politics are and how it relates to its cultural context. It will do this through examination of four key areas: firstly, 'English' folk bands; secondly, young Morris Dance companies who are redefining Morris Dancing; thirdly, popular youth-orientated social ceilidh dancing (called 'e-ceilidh' by the participants); and fourthly, youth-orientated workshops in folk music and dance.
The research will contribute to an understanding of how Englishness and Britishness are changing, and to how people are using 'Englishness' as a way of forming their identities through these artistic and creative cultural practices.
The research aims to examine how Englishness as a national identity is being produced in and around this music and dance, what kind of Englishness is being produced, what its politics are and how it relates to its cultural context. It will do this through examination of four key areas: firstly, 'English' folk bands; secondly, young Morris Dance companies who are redefining Morris Dancing; thirdly, popular youth-orientated social ceilidh dancing (called 'e-ceilidh' by the participants); and fourthly, youth-orientated workshops in folk music and dance.
The research will contribute to an understanding of how Englishness and Britishness are changing, and to how people are using 'Englishness' as a way of forming their identities through these artistic and creative cultural practices.
Publications
Keegan-Phipps S
(2013)
An Aural Tradition with a Pause Button? The Role of Recording Technology in a North East English Folk Session
in Ethnomusicology
Keegan-Phipps S
(2009)
Folk for Art's Sake: English Folk Music in the Mainstream Milieu
in Radical Musicology
Keegan-Phipps S
(2017)
Identifying the English: essentialism and multiculturalism in contemporary English folk music
in Ethnomusicology Forum
Simon Keegan-Phipps And Trish Winter
(2014)
The Oxford Handbook of Music Revival
Winter Trish
(2013)
Performing Englishness: Identity and Politics in a Contemporary Folk Resurgence
| Description | Please see Final Report (2009) |
| Exploitation Route | Please see Final Report (2009) |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | See the Final Report (2009). Since the submission of the Final Report there have been additional impacts. 1. The PI and RA have continued to undertake public engagement activities that have been used to inform academic and public debate around the significance of the English folk resurgence in relation to debates around the politics of Englishness and shifts in English identity. These are detailed on Researchfish. They have also been used to inform the development of an academic and practitioner network around these topics, in collaboration with Professor Michael Kenny (Queen Mary University of London'. A Symposium, 'Englishness Rising: The 'folkish' impulse in new English identities' is being co-convened by the PI and RA on the project together with Professor Kenny (6th January 2015, University of Sunderland Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies). The intention is for this symposium to bring together interested parties from academia and practice, with a view to developing the network. Speakers: Professor Michael Kenny Sam Lee (Mercury Prize nominated folk singer) interviewed by Professor John Storey Dr Simon Featherstone Madeleine Bunting (writer and journalist, former columnist and Associate Editor Guardian); Dr Abigail Gardner Dr Simon Keegan Phipps and Dr Trish Winter Professor Alastair Bonnett (Discussant) Screening: 'The Gainsborough Packet' by artist Matt Stokes Digital exhibition of photographs by Steve Conlan. 2. A subsequent AHRC research project that arises out of the 'Performing Englishness' research is 'Digital Folk' (Ref: AH/L014858/1). The PI is Dr Simon Keegan-Phipps, who was the Research Associate on Performing Englishness. 3. The publication of the book 'Performing Englishness: identity and politics in a contemporary folk resurgence' has moved the research into academic debate beyond its home disciplines. For example, 'Performing Englishness' is cited by Professor of Politics Michael Kenny in his new book 'The Politics of Nationhood in England: Class, Culture and Governance after Devolution' (Oxford University Press, 2014). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2007 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Research Grants (Open Call - Early Career) |
| Amount | £250,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/L014858/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2014 |
| End | 11/2016 |
| Description | Englishness Network |
| Organisation | Queen Mary University of London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have collaborated to convene a Symposium, 'Englishness Rising: the folkish impulse in new English identities', at University of Sunderland in January 2015, which we intend as the first step towards establishing a multidisciplinary academic network. I have co-ordinated the preparations for the symposium and it is being hosted by my institution. The other member of my research team, now at University of Sheffield, is a co-convener. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Professor Michael Kenny, (QMUC) and Dr Simon Keegan-Phipps (University of Sheffield) have acted as co-conveners of the symposium. |
| Impact | Symposium 'Englishness Rising: the folkish impulse in new English identities', University of Sunderland, 6 January 2015. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Englishness Network |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have collaborated to convene a Symposium, 'Englishness Rising: the folkish impulse in new English identities', at University of Sunderland in January 2015, which we intend as the first step towards establishing a multidisciplinary academic network. I have co-ordinated the preparations for the symposium and it is being hosted by my institution. The other member of my research team, now at University of Sheffield, is a co-convener. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Professor Michael Kenny, (QMUC) and Dr Simon Keegan-Phipps (University of Sheffield) have acted as co-conveners of the symposium. |
| Impact | Symposium 'Englishness Rising: the folkish impulse in new English identities', University of Sunderland, 6 January 2015. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | 'An Oral [Aural] Tradition With a Pause Button. Annual Conference of the Ireland National Committee of the International Council for Traditional Music, University College Dublin, 26-27 February. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Colleagues reported change in views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'Celebrating the F Word: The Mixed Economy of the Contemporary English Folk Music Industry' Simon Keegan-Phipps, Research Seminar: University of Sheffield, 21 March 2011 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Not aware of any yet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | 'Dance from the Exotic Shores of England', PCA/ACA Conference, New Orleans, USA (Trish Winter) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Colleagues reported change of view. Networking with international colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'England which England?' Simon Keegan-Phipps paper, International Council for Traditional Music Ireland Branch Annual Conference, Galway, 21st-23 February 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. None yet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | 'English Folk Music as World Music' Trish Winter and Simon Keegan-Phipps, IASPM Conference, University of Liverpool, 2009. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion Colleagues reported change of view. Networking with international colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'English Music as World Music', Newcastle Music Research Forum, Newcastle University (Trish Winter and Simon Keegan-Phipps) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Colleagues reported change in views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'Englishness and the Imagined Village', Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland, 9 Feburary. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Feedback fed into our analytical thinking. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'Englishness and the Imagined Village', MeCCSA Conference, University of Bradford, (Trish Winter) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Colleagues reported change in views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'Folk for Art's Sake Arranging (and Composing) for the Recontextualization of English Folk Music' Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, Cardiff University, 9-12 April |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The paper was followed by questions and discussion. Discussion led to invitation to give research seminar at University of York and resulted in a change to the presenter's opinions through questioning and discussion from attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2008 |
| Description | 'Improvising participation in the contemporary English folk session' Simon Keegan-Phipps, 'Perspectives on Musical Improvisation II: University of Oxford, 9-12 September 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards. none yet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | 'Multicultural/Intercultural England: Collaborative Constructions of National Identity in Contemorary Folk Music' Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular music, University of Liverpool, 13-17 July |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The paper was followed by questions and lively discussion Questions and discussion |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | 'Performing Englishness in New English Folk Music and Dance', Research Seminar, Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies, University of Sunderland. 15 October |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Feedback informed the early development of the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | 'Performing Englishness: the rise of the English folk arts'. Simon Keegan-Phipps paper, Annual conference of the International Council for Traditional Music, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 13019 July 2011 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Not aware of any yet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | 'The Englishnesses of the New English Folk Resurgence' Mad Dogs and Englishness: Popular music and English identities, St Mary's University College London, 2013. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion. Colleagues reported change in views. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | 'The Englishnesses of the New English Folk Resurgence', Trish Winter, Crossroads in Cultural Studies Conference, Tampere, Finland., July 2014. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards. Colleagues reported a change of view afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Dancing, Researching and Ageing Invited presentation, Public Symposium, Women, Ageing, and Media Network, University of Gloucester. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 100 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE PRESENTATION, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A DISCUSSION ALSO INVOLVING MY RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS SOCIAL MEDIA DISCUSSION, RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS REPORTED BACK TO THEIR GROUP AND BLOGGED ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE, TWO ACADEMIC DELEGATES TO THE SYMPOSIUM SUBSEQUENTLY PAID A VISIT TO THE PROJECT, AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WOMEN, AGEING AND MEDIA NETWORK HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | English Folk in Contemporary Culture Invited talk to Collingwood College SCR, Durham University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | The audience attended the talk as part of an arranged series. Questions and discussion stemming from the talk continued throughout the evening. increased discussion |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | Englishness in New English Folk: Presentation of Research Findings to the Industry |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 100 PEOPLE ATTENDED OUR PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS, WHICH SPARKED DISCUSSION AFTERWARDS INVITATION TO SPEAK AT THE ALL PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP FOR FOLK ARTS |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| URL | http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/research/areasofresearch/creativeandculturalpracticesbeacon/projects/per... |
| Description | Interview about Performing Englishness - BBC Radio 3 'Music Matters' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | THE INTERVIEW WAS BROADCAST NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY INCREASE IN SOCIAL MEDIA TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| URL | http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/newsandevents/2010/skp180310 |
| Description | Interview and performance; 'Saturday Breakfast', BBC Radio Sheffield 18 October 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | the talk and performance were broadcast on BBC Radio Sheffield. none yet |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Multicultural/Intercultural England: Collaborative Constructions of National Identity in Contemporary Folk Music.' Annual Conference of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology, Liverpool John Moores University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Delegates attended the 20min research paper, which was followed by 10 minutes of lively discussion, in the session, and further informal discussion throughout the conference. I was asked to give guest lectures to both UGs and taught PGs at LJMU and Manchester on the topics covered in the paper. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | New English Folk and the Politics of Englishness: Presentation to All Party Parliamentary Group for Folk Arts, House of Commons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | We gave a presentation on the results of our research which was followed by a lively discussion. The chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group undertook to circulate our report to MPs. The event was discussed and reported in social media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| URL | http://thecrmcs.wordpress.com/2010/01/22/455/ |
| Description | Performing Englishness in New English Folk Music and Dance. Invited briefing to Board of Directors |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | WE BRIEFED THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON THE PROJECT AND HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. WE DEVELOPED A WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH FOLK ARTS ENGLAND AND AN INVITATION TO SPEAK AT THE FOLK INDUSTRY CONFERENCE 2007. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Performing Englishness in New English Folk Music and Dance.' Association of Festival Organisers Folk Industry Conference, 2007 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Scientific meeting (conference/symposium etc.) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Participants in your research and patient groups |
| Results and Impact | 200 PEOPLE ATTENDED A TALK ABOUT THE PROJECT AND IT WAS DISCUSSED AFTERWARDS WE RECEIVED A FURTHER INVITATION TO REPORT THE FINDINGS OF OUR RESEARCH IN 2009 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |
| Description | Politics and Identity in the Contemporary English Folk Resurgence. Invited research seminar, University of York Department of Music, 28th October 2009 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | 20 academics, research students and taught undergraduates/postgraduates attended a 50min research presentation, which was followed by questions and discussion. I was asked to proffer further information to one academic (John Potter) who was working on early music revival. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | Public Interview with Chris Wood, Lyric Festival. University of Sheffield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The audience were given the (relatively unusual) opportunity to hear not only Wood's musical performance, but how he conceptualises that performance (and folk music in general) through questioning from SKP between songs/pieces. Questions/discussion were not scheduled as part of the activity, but the latter was noticeable among the audience after the event. Discussion of increased collaboration between the Lyric Festival and Music Dept academics in subsequent years. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Public Interview with folk singer Sam Lee, 'Talking Gigs', Lantern Theatre Sheffield, 30 October 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | talk sparked questions and discussion afterwards. Plans made for a further public interview with Sam Lee as part of the 'Englishness Rising' Symposium, University of Sunderland, 6 January 2015 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | Simon Keegan-Phipps: Public Interview with Jim Moray, 'Talking Gigs' Lantern Theatre sheffield 6 June 2014 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | the interview sparked questions and discussion. none yet. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | The Politics of Englishness in the Folk Resurgence: Talk and open discussion at Bright Phoebus workshop weekend, Dungworth, 22-23 October 2011 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk was followed by programmed with time afterwards for open, 'round table' and floor discussion - this discussion session was attended by the whole audience for the talk itself, and almost all attendees participated in lively debate around the topics discussed. The session overran! Invited back to speak on related subjects at the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |