The Changing Concepts of 'World Music' A Historical Perspective

When the expression 'world music' was coined in 1987 by predominantly independent labels and promoters, it had been out of an attempt to provide space and visibility to musics that did not fit into the then established Western mainstream categories. Yet, from the very beginning, this was intertwined with colonial perspectives. In the new millennium, 'world music' took on such a variety of meanings that it could hardly be understood without a clear definition anymore. This included equations with unrecognisable fusion musics as well as its understanding as othered 'musics of the world' or as musics played by migrants. The increasingly negative connotation was also evident in calls for the term to be avoided. This article does not only provide an overview of the historical development of the term, but also examines the handling of world music in the present: What influence have postcolonial debates had on the conceptual handling? Are there possible alternatives?