Abstract
Wenger’s (1998) notion of “community of practice” is the embodiment of his social theory learning, which rests upon four assumptions: we are social beings, and this fact is a central aspect of learning; knowledge is a matter of competence with respect to valued enterprises; knowing is a matter of active engagement in the world; and our engagement with the world as meaningful is ultimately the purpose of learning. Key concepts in Wenger’s theory – social, value, and engagement, meaningful – speak to this inquiry into the singing practices of five Fijian communities. Snapshots, chosen to illustrate a variety of singing events are presented as exemplars of these concepts in action in what I am calling “communities of singing practice.” Proposed is the notion that singing both shapes and is shaped by a culture in which Fijian boys and girls engage in, meaningful social practices that are valued by significant others and support the development of singing competence.
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Russell, J. (2012). Communities of Singing Practice in the Fiji Islands. In: Harrison, S., Welch, G., Adler, A. (eds) Perspectives on Males and Singing. Landscapes: the Arts, Aesthetics, and Education, vol 10. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2660-4_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2660-4_12
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