Floating and Blending — The Songs of the Miao Cleaning Women in Shanghai

Abstract

This paper discusses the praxis of ‘music volunteers’ in ethnomusicology, taking the process of being engaged in the music life of Miao cleaning women working in Shanghai as an example, to reflect on the possibility of ‘engaged practice’. The ‘music volunteers’ activities help us to explore the ‘differences’ between various types of knowledge and follow in search of the ‘liquid knowledge’2 that really emerges in the cultural context and power hierarchy of the city. In this process, we try to build a dynamic cultural space together, breaking the binary boundaries between urban and rural areas as well as insiders and outsiders.