Conceptualizing Anti-Racist Pedagogies Within Experimental Music's Community of Practice

Abstract

Despite communities of practice (COPs) literature asserting the importance of attending to power dynamics within these learning contexts, research has largely ignored the process of racialization within COPs and, in particular, the role anti-racist pedagogies play within these spaces. In response, I present findings from an instrumental case study to address the following research question: how do participants in an experimental music community conceptualize anti-racist pedagogies within their COP? Building on Kenny’s notion of communities of musical practice, my analysis shows that the board members and employees of the experimental music venue at the center of this study recognize opportunities to challenge white supremacy and build critical understandings of racialization across all three of Wenger’s dimensions of COPs: mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and shared repertoire. This study therefore provides a potential framework for future studies into anti-racist pedagogies within informal adult education.