From Clave Ethnotheory to Clave Theories: A Path Toward Decolonizing Musical Analysis

Inspired by Philip Ewell's call to rethink musical analysis in US academia and recent critiques of the concept of ethnotheory (Agawu 2017; Hood and Hutchinson 2020), this article reflects on the paradoxical position of culture-specific musical theories that circulate in ethnomusicological literature as tools to decolonize music studies. Using clave theory as a case study, I interrogate the power dynamics in theoretical formulations, the role of dance, and the ways in which theories impact communities of musicians and dancers. I propose an approach to theorizing that is reflexive, embodied, attentive to contexts, holistic, open ended, and collaborative.