Sonic Ethnography: A Deeper Exploration into Sound and Culture

In recent years, sonic ethnography has emerged as a powerful method in the study of cultures, blending anthropology, sound studies, and media technology to capture the richness of human experience through the dimension of sound. Unlike traditional ethnography, which primarily relies on visual and textual data, sonic ethnography emphasizes the auditory as a fundamental mode of understanding cultural practices, environments, and identities. As societies become increasingly shaped by digital soundscapes and global exchanges of music, the potential of sound to map human experiences has become more critical than ever.

Theoretical Foundations of Sonic Ethnography

Sonic ethnography is grounded in ethnographic methods, but with an added layer of attentiveness to acoustic environments, language, music, and ambient sounds that shape everyday life. Anthropologists such as Steven Feld pioneered the concept of acoustemology, which he defines as “an exploration of the world through sound.” Feld’s work among the Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea highlighted how sound is not merely background noise but a key aspect of how the Kaluli perceive their environment and social relationships .

In sonic ethnography, sound acts as both medium and message. It is a way of documenting the texture of life that words and images may fail to convey. As Feld notes, “hearing history” is crucial to understanding how people inhabit their worlds, from the ritualized drumming of Indigenous…