CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP

“Comparative Musicology in the 21st Century”

Venue: Department of Music, University of Ghana, Legon

Date: 15 to 17 September 2026

The department of music, University of Ghana in collaboration with the Collaborative

Research Center ‘Transformations of the Popular’ (sub-project ‘Low Pop’) at the University of

Siegen, Germany is organizing a 3-day international workshop titled “Comparative musicology

in the 21st Century”

Concept

The field once known as comparative musicology, later redefined as ethnomusicology, was

historically shaped by Eurocentric frameworks that positioned non-European music(s) as

sources for reconstructing the prehistory of Western art music. While it is basically productive

to work with a comparative approach that is ‘free of centrisms’ (Mendívil 2014: 386; cf.

Clayton 2011), postcolonial and decolonial scholarship has long challenged such hierarchies,

a pressing question remains: what does it mean to pursue comparative music research in the

21st century, particularly from Africa? This workshop proposes to revisit comparative

musicology from the South, grounding it in African epistemologies, collaborative knowledge-

making, and the cultural realities of the digital age. Kwabena Nketia’s (1984) call for universal

perspectives in ethnomusicology already anticipated the need for comparative approaches

that situate African traditions within global conversations rather than at their margins.

Building on that vision, the workshop aims to rethink comparison as a dialogic, co-creative,

and multi-sited process that emerges through shared musical practices, rather than as a one-

directional act of classification. Ghana offers an ideal context for such rethinking. As the

birthplace of highlife and a major node in transnational musical exchange, Ghanaian sound

cultures, including the traditional and popular, exemplify how African musicians have long

engaged in comparative processes through adaptation, translation, and experimentation.

From early highlife orchestras and church music syncretism to today’s Afrobeats and digital

remix cultures, the Ghanaian experience reveals comparison as a lived, creative act. In the

21st century, digitization, AI-driven listening, and trans-local collaboration further expand the

terrain of comparative inquiry. The workshop will therefore explore new frameworks for

understanding how musical ideas travel, transform, and acquire meaning across space,media, and ideology. The workshop aims to articulate models of comparison that

are reciprocal, decolonial, and future-oriented by bringing together scholars, artists, and

early-career researchers to dialogue.

Format and Communication

The three-day workshop will explore contemporary issues, opportunities, and challenges in

comparative music research. Scholars at all stages of their careers, and PhD students are

invited to contribute by sharing insights from ongoing or completed projects, or by offering

theoretical perspectives for discussion.

Suggested guiding questions for contributions include:

• Which musical phenomena, current and historical, lend themselves to comparative

research?

• What constitute revealing and productive moments of comparison (tertia

comparationis)?

• What are the key potentials and limitations of comparative approaches?

• What challenges do transnational cultural exchange, globalisation and digitisation

pose for comparative music research?

• Which collaborative approaches are relevant to implement comparative research

equitably and without any centrism?

Abstract Submission and Guidelines

We invite abstracts of up to 250 words that address the workshop theme and subthemes.

Abstracts should clearly outline the main argument, methodology, and significance of the

research.

Abstracts should be submitted by June 15, 2026, via email to: Dr. Eyram Fiagbedzi –

eekfiagbedzi@ug.edu.gh, and Prof. Florian Heesch – florian.heesch@musik.uni-siegen.de

Please use the following subject line in your email submission:

Subject: Submission – Comparative Musicology Workshop

Each submission should include title of the paper, author’s name, institutional affiliation, and

contact information.

Important Dates:

• Abstract Submission Deadline: June 15, 2026

• Notification of Acceptance: June 30, 2026

For any inquiries, please contact the conference organizers eekfiagbedzi@ug.edu.gh ;

florian.heesch@musik.uni-siegen.de.

We look forward to receiving your contributions!