An anatomy of musical blood: The sociocultural construction of Romani ‘natural’ musicality

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68378076%3A_____%2F25%3A00637001" target="_blank" >RIV/68378076:_____/25:00637001 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14687968251343781" target="_blank" >https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14687968251343781</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/14687968251343781" target="_blank" >10.1177/14687968251343781</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

An anatomy of musical blood: The sociocultural construction of Romani ‘natural’ musicality

Original language description

This article explores the phenomenon of ‘musical blood’ using the case of Slovak Roma to challenge both the specific myth of innate Romani musicality and the broader assumption that musical ability is genetically inheritable within ethnic groups. Rather than debunking racist ideas about primordially assigned ethnic features, the article advocates for a more nuanced and scholarly approach to understanding how musical abilities are constructed, perceived and valued within varying social and cultural environments. The article provides an overview of the literature on the heritability of musicality, focusing on the specifics (and pitfalls) of applying this concept to ethnic groups. Then, it critically examines how societal conceptions of music contribute to the persistence of the musical blood myth, suggesting that these beliefs are rooted in sociocultural narratives and stereotypes. It delves into an analysis of multifaceted sociocultural constructs that sustain the notion of ethnic musical predispositions, different sociocultural contexts shape the perception and valuation of musical enculturation, musical aptitude and music per se. The article then analyses the case of Slovak Roma to illustrate broader theoretical implications, providing a critical lens on the role of systemic biases held by non-Roma (heterostereotypes), Romani self-ascribed identification with the construct (autostereotypes), and mutual interactions thereof. While the article is based on the author’s long-term ethnographic observations in Gemer-Malohont in Slovakia (2013–2023), it pairs material from this context with existing ethnographic scholarship, covering cases of Romani musical blood in different sociocultural contexts. The article reflects on the importance of understanding ‘musical blood’ not just as a stereotype but as a meaningful and impactful sociocultural construct deeply embedded in the lives and identities of Romani musicians and their communities.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50404 - Anthropology, ethnology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Ethnicities

ISSN

1468-7968

e-ISSN

1741-2706

Volume of the periodical

25

Issue of the periodical within the volume

6

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

19

Pages from-to

865-883

UT code for WoS article

001489490400001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105005574958