Critical Review #1

Handler, Richard and Jocelyn Linnekin. “Tradition, Genuine or Spurious.” Journal of American Folklore 97.385 (1984): 273-290.

The main point I feel Hander and Linnekin make is that the classical definition of the word “tradition” as a culture’s traits and customs that are passed down and definable, is incorrect. Instead, they show through case studies that “traditions” can be better understood as symbolic reinterpretations of the past. I have always thought of traditions as tangible or at least list-able, so this well-argued perspective made me reevaluate how I think about traditions.

The authors makes a convincing argument by sighting examples in which traditions perceived as being passed-down were actually rediscovered by professionals and presented in modern contexts that have little to do with their original context. Not only are these traditions not passed-down, in their new context and by being understood as “traditional,” they are also infused with new meaning [280]. For example, where a child’s toy from the past was just a child’s toy, now it is a symbol of craftsmanship. The authors also argue that even activities that are passed down always derive their meaning from a “modern context” [283]. For example, comparisons to modern cities may infuse a passed-down country living and farming lifestyle with purity or other characteristics that did not exist in the past.

In saying that tradition is constantly being reinterpreted, Hander and Linnekin imply that there is can never be a static representation of tradition. How does this challenge the idea of tradition in music, especially music deemed as “traditional” such folk or Irish fiddling?