Description
About the Author
Michael Bakan is Professor of Ethnomusicology at Florida State University. His more than fifty publications include the books World Music: Traditions and Transformations and Music of Death and New Creation, as well as articles and book chapters on topics ranging from the ethnomusicology of autism to cinematic music and postmodernism. Bakan serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Ethnomusicology and as series editor for the Routledge Focus on World Music book series. As a percussionist, he has performed with John Cage, Tito Puente, Rudolf Serkin, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, and several leading gamelan groups in Bali, Indonesia.
Reviews
Speaking for Ourselves is a significant contribution to the literature on autism, social science, and neuroscience as well as on music. For the most part it is free of jargon, and the conversations are relatable in a way rarely found in works emanating from academic presses. A companion website offers music and video (and a few photos) that strengthen the discussion with aural/visual examples of things discussed in the text. Those with an interest in autism, music, or just life experience in general will find this an enlightening resource. * CHOICE *
Michael Bakan's work has always been inspired -- open, dynamic, warm -hearted, and keenly intelligent. This is a delightfully human read -- deftly illuminating the differences in autistic thinking while simultaneously underscoring how much our deep shared experiences as human beings provide bridging webs of feeling and wonder. His humility and respect are real models of ways we can work together toward understanding one another -- beyond labels...as people. * Dawn Prince-Hughes, primatologist and anthropologist, best selling author of Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey through Autism *
Speaking for Ourselves is a true collaboration between Michael Bakan and his autistic interlocutors, who journey together into the heart of what making and experiencing music feels like for people who are wired differently. Reading it will enhance your understanding of not just autism, but creativity itself. * Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity *
This is ground breaking research that could lead to real improvements in the lives of people with autism. * Derryck Smith, MD, FRCPC, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190855833
Author Michael B. Bakan
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 163mm * 23mm