Stuart Hall Reflection

Identity is a complex subject to address and in his speech Stuart Hall tries to piece together his reasoning and ideas on how to derive the proper meaning of identity. He points out that people are ever changing but try to hold on to some type of identity as a way to relate back to who they were or where they came from, like a bookmark to their past. Identities of the past have been used to find similarities among groups of people but determining the difference and comparing to “the Other.” Hall also shows us how identities have evolved over time based on what society contributes to them. In the case of the English people who started out as a very narrow group and included very few, but now has been expanded to all types of people who have immigrated over the last 50 years to Britain like Jamaicans, Indians and Middle Easterners. All these different groups contribute to the identity of the English society today.
Music works in a similar way, but it is often easier for a person to identify with more than one group. Music is a large umbrella with lots of overlapping styles that can be included in a single genre. Anyone can find a style of music that they enjoy. Different types of music were developed as a way to create new identities and branch out from other identities. However, these identities are not set in stone. People are free to experiment with different sounds and find something that works for them and the possibilities are endless. When thinking about music and how it relates to identity it is important to think about what attracts people to particular types of songs. There is often something in the words or the instrumentals that make a person enjoy what they hear.
Character builds music and identity. It is the smaller aspects that make up the larger picture. Culture and the people in focus are what make up identity and cause it to evolve. Similarly with music it is the composers and audience that have the power to make it evolve into what reflects who they are.

Monica Cook