The Role of Music in the lives of Dalits and African-Americans: A Narrative Comparison of Pain and Endurance

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JenithaBlessy. J, Dr.V. Bhuvaneswari

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the different types of musical narration used by the Dalits as well as the African-Americans to express their agony, conflict and resilience throughout their freedom struggle. Music is an amalgamated part of human life with all the variety and its form. Good music has direct access to the emotion by providing stimulation, solace, succour and inspiration. It is the oldest artefact which brings people together by serving as a medium of expression that contributes to emotional intelligence.


Overview: The main objective of the study is to identify the importance of music in the lives of the African-American and the Dalits. It further explores the animosity faced by the African- Americans when they first arrived into the forgine land of America. It also give the brief discrption of how Dalit communities were provoked by the upper caste in India and how they use music to resist this inequality. It also discusses the squirm of oppression, untouchability, communal violence, negation and marginalization of the Dalits and the African Americans in their country.


Methodology: The study uses a method of textual analysis to understand the internal conflicts of the Dalits and the African-Americans when they composed these songs. It also to identify that Music also addresses the social issues and have paved the way for social vicissitudes. Similarly, music is used as a medium to express their protest in the Dalit and African –American literary discourse. The study also focuses on studying the music and the lyrics written by the Dalits as well as the African- Americans which gave them courage, hope and solace while they endured the cruality against them. As their music also addresses the social issues and have paved the way for social vicissitudes.


Main Findings of the Study : Music is used as a medium to express their protest in the Dalit and African –American literary discourse. The primary objective of this paper is to compare and contrast the written musical text that gives voice to protest, from moan to range, from endurance to celebration in both Dalit and African- American writings. This paper further explores how two societies Afro- Americana and Dalits are constituted by comparable hegemonies of subjugation and coercion that delineate and demarcate the identities of the subaltern in the irrespective cultures. These two different communities in the world have actively vocalised the issues of social injustice through music, which has changed and challenged the cruelty of oppression, slavery, segregation, casteism and racism.

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