Call for Chapters: "There’s a song to be sung: Critical reflections on the music and influence of Johnny Clegg"
Call for chapters: There’s a song to be sung: Critical reflections on the music and influence of Johnny Clegg
Proposal submission: 30 September 2022
Full chapters due: 30 June 2023
Introduction
As a South African musician, anthropologist, ethnomusicologist and cultural activist, Johnny Clegg has had a significant impact on the South African musical landscape. His career, which began with long-time friend Sipho Mchunu in the 1970s, spanned 5 decades and involved success with Juluka, Savuka and as a solo artist, both in South African and internationally. During the apartheid era he experienced police harassment and broadcast censorship and became overtly involved in South African cultural politics, being instrumental in the formation of South African Musicians Alliance. He became embroiled in debates around the cultural boycott. Academically, Clegg had an honours degree in Anthropology and lectured in Anthropology for four years before turning to music full time. He presented and published academic papers with a particular focus on Zulu music, dance and culture. In 2015 he was honoured with an OBE. His death in July 2019 cut short an active and engaging musical career. In 2021 an autobiography, Scatterling of Africa, which covered his early years, was published.
The proposed volume on Johnny Clegg’s career hopes to explore these different avenues of Clegg’s life and influence.
Possible topics
These may include but are not confined to:
Analysis of specific songs, albums or themes across albums
Consideration of any stage of Clegg’s career
An analysis of Clegg’s academic and autobiographical writing
Clegg’s success in France or other countries
Clegg and the cultural boycott
Clegg’s negotiation of apartheid laws
Clegg’s relationship with Zulu culture
Clegg and the South African Musicians Alliance
Please send 250-500 word proposals and a brief author biography to Michael Drewett m.drewett[at]ru.ac[dot]za