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Macalester College

Publication Date

Fall 2022

Program Name

Mongolia: Nomadism, Geopolitics, and the Environment

Abstract

During Mongolia’s socialist period, traditional forms of Mongolian music were deliberately altered as the government, heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, attempted to modernize Mongolian culture. Throughout this period, traditional instruments were modified, the types of music that could be performed were strictly censored, and the structure of performances was set to strictly mimic those of Western orchestras. After Mongolia’s Democratic Revolution of 1990, the artistic freedom of Mongolian musicians has greatly increased, but even now, socialist cultural policies are deeply intertwined with Mongolian musical culture. Why is this the case? What is the common perception among performers about the influence of the Soviet Union on Mongolian music? What does the term “Mongolian music” actually mean to performers, and what do the different understandings of this term represent? By interviewing performers of Mongolian music in Ulaanbaatar and Dornogovi aimag who were educated or employed during both the socialist and current periods, this project examines the impacts of socialist control on the lives and decisions of performers, as well as the trajectory of future Mongolian music. The ethnographic study finds that, although the ideological impacts of the socialist period continue even to this day, Mongolian musicians and performers define ‘Mongolian music’ as something that transcends even the most persistent of socialist cultural policies. As such, these performers serve as a key example of the complexity with which rapid geopolitical change impacts cultural practices, beliefs, and identity.

Disciplines

Asian Studies | Cultural History | Ethnomusicology | Music Performance | Politics and Social Change | Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies

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