Music Exchange and Cultural Policies between Germany and the Mashreq 1945 to 2000

The research project „Music Exchange and Cultural Policies between Germany and the Mashreq 1945 to 2000“ focuses on musical and cultural exchange between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic on the one hand, and the so-called Mashreq region (Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria) on the other. The focus is on musical exchange and cultural policies that emerged as a result of long-term interaction at the institutional level in the second half of the twentieth century. These forms of music transfer manifested themselves in the diverse exchange and migration of musicians, texts, and objects. Taking into account formal and informal cultural and knowledge exchange, selected musical actors and institutions will be examined as examples of the driving forces behind these interactions.

Against the backdrop of growing global interconnectedness and increasing transnational migration, academic research is increasingly focusing on processes of cultural exchange and the associated cultural policy. Although musical cultural transfer between Germany and the eastern Mediterranean region has a long history, it has only been researched to a limited extent to date. This research project aims to make important sources on music accessible, evaluate them, relate them to contemporary musical practices and cultures, and ask: Which institutions promoted musical exchange and which actors were and are involved in this exchange? This is followed by further questions: How did the exchange between individual states and regions take shape, also with regard to the Cold War period, and at what levels did the exchange take place? What were the functions of music promotion programmes, academic research, and training programmes, cultural institutes and archives? How did political intentions manifest themselves in these strategies of knowledge and cultural transfer? What hegemonies, authorities, and positions were conveyed through these exchanges? What new forms of knowledge emerged as a result of these exchanges?

Methodologically, the research project is based on a mixed methods approach. In addition to interviews with various actors based on approaches from music ethnology and oral history, research will be conducted in various archives. Based on this, the project will investigate whether musical traditions have been established since 1945 that interact with the musical exchange under investigation. The research project thus aims to create a deeper understanding of network-based cultural transfer. Using methods of computational musicology and network analysis, the networks identified will also be transferred into a network model.