The Many Paths of Decolonization

Abstract

This essay uses analytical sketches of Indigenous DJ collective A Tribe Called Red’s “How I Feel” as a starting point for critiquing the white colonial Eurocentric norms of music analysis as currently practiced in the discipline of music theory. I expand on previous calls for greater diversity and inclusion within the field by exposing colonial and Eurocentric analytical strategies. I then propose some possibilities for decolonizing and Indigenizing music analysis that reflect individuals’ differing capacities for growth and change while also challenging music analysts to move beyond tokenistic gestures.