Critical Review #1

Handler, Richard and Jocelyn Linnekin
TRADITION, GENUINE OR SPURIOUS Journal Of American Folklore, 97, 1984, p.273-290

In this article, Handler and Linnekin argue for a new definition of tradition. They point out that previous definitions of the term viewed tradition as something fixed in time and consciousness and they argue that modern definitions, although they acknowledge the reality of constant change in traditions, do not move far enough away from this stereotype. In the authors' view, tradition is a "symbolic process," something created and assigned meaning by people, which involves continual change and reinvention.

Discussion Question: Are there ways in which musical traditions defy this definition? Or do they reinforce it?