Article

The Upward Spiral: Access and Identity in Uilleann Piping

Mark A. Stevenson

Published in: Ethnomusicology Ireland 9 (2024)

Pages: 36-51 | Published Online: June 2024

https://doi.org/10.64208/WDOY4549

Abstract

This research applies Bourdieu’s (1984, 1986) framework of cultural, social and economic capital to explore mechanisms for entry into the global community of musical practice (Kenny 2016) of uilleann pipers. It focuses on the processes through which these forms of capital become mutually interchangeable in the interrelationships between pipemakers, professional, and non-professional pipers across a variety of social and institutional contexts. These interrelationships engender specific sound identities (Powell 2012) which shape pathways for entry into the community of practice and serve as a filter through which forms of capital become fungible across a spectrum of institutionalized and informal contexts.

Keywords: Uilleann piping, sound identity, community of practice, professionalization

Author: Mark A. Stevenson | ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3247-445X