Stefan Fiol's Recasting Folk in the Himalayas: Indian Music, Media, and Social Mobility is a significant contribution to the field of contemporary South Asian ethnomusicology, which until recent decades largely ignored music considered outside the classical canon. Fiol examines the genealogy of the term “folk” as it has been used by scholars and ordinary people alike to describe various musics. Through multiple ethnographic case studies, he successfully integrates micro-analytical perspectives (for example, indigenous knowledge systems and the routines of daily musical practice) and macro-analytical structures (such as capitalism, the state, and the music industry) in order to “recast” the idea of folk in multiple contexts. The reader comes away with a deep understanding of Uttarakhandi regional music through the stories of a fascinating cast(e) of characters and musical tales.
Fiol first provides a stellar introductory chapter in which he clearly defines the book's key terms, examines the history of caste,...
