Description
Book SynopsisThis edited volume examines manele (sing. manea), an urban Romanian song-dance ethnopop genre that combines local traditional and popular music with Balkan and Middle Eastern elements. The genre is performed primarily by male Romani musicians at weddings and clubs and appeals especially to Romanian and Romani youth. It became immensely popular after the collapse of communism, representing for many the newly liberated social conditions of the post-1989 world. But manele have also engendered much controversy among the educated and professional elite, who view the genre as vulgar and even alien to the Romanian national character. The essays collected here examine the manea phenomenon as a vibrant form of cultural expression that engages in several levels of social meaning, all informed by historical conditions, politics, aesthetics, tradition, ethnicity, gender, class, and geography.
Trade ReviewThis extraordinary book has a high applicability both among scholars from various disciplines and the wider public of those who want to achieve a greater understanding of the turbulent social reality Southeastern countries are struggling with. * Folkloristika *
The richness of grounded knowledge throughout Manele in Romania would distinguish a single-author work in popular and folk music studies, let alone an edited volume. * Slavic Review *
To my knowledge, this well-researched book is the very first volume of essays written in English on the subject of the musical genre of manele. . . The fieldwork completed for the volume has resulted in a diverse collection of material . . . . Manele in Romania: Cultural Expression and Meaning in Balkan Popular Music is recommended for scholars, students, and readers interested in music, history, ethnic, social, and political studies of Romania and the Balkans. The website [http://www.manele-in-romania.ro/] is a convenient source for both a classroom setting and personal use. * Slavic and East European Journal *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: “Music, Dance, Performance: A Descriptive Analysis of Manele” Speranţa Rădulescu and Anca Giurchescu Chapter 2: “A History of the Manea: The 19th to the Mid-20th Century” Costin Moisil Chapter 3: “Actors and Performance” Anca Giurchescu and Speranţa Rădulescu Chapter 4: “How the Music of Manele is Structured” Speranţa Rădulescu Chapter 5: “Village Manele: An Urban Genre in Rural Romania” Margaret Beissinger Chapter 6: “Manele and Regional Parallels: Ethnopop in the Balkans” Margaret Beissinger Chapter 7:“Manele and the Underworld” Adrian Şchiop Chapter 8: “‘Boyar in the Helicopter’: Power, Parody, and Carnival in Manea Performances” Victor Stoichiţă Chapter 9: “Turbo-Authenticity: An Essay about ‘Manelism’” Vintilă Mihăilescu Epilogue Speranţa Rădulescu
