The Politics of Authenticating

Reviews / Votes

"A highly original take on the history and culture of traditional New Orleans Jazz seen through the lens of modern sociological analysis and focusing on the concept of "authenticity." For me, as a non-sociologist, the most compelling chapters are those dealing with Ekins's personal odyssey as a jazz lover and musician, as well as the case histories of other young middle-class men drawn to the siren song that emerged from New Orleans in the early 20th century and later experienced a vibrant revival around the legendary figure of trumpeter Willie "Bunk" Johnson. Readers familiar with jazz history will find this a refreshing, sometimes surprising, approach." -- Thomas Sancton, Research Professor at Tulane University and author of Song for my Fathers: A New Orleans story in Black and White In The Politics of Authenticating: Revisiting New Orleans Jazz, Richard Ekins and Robert Porter have produced a groundbreaking grounded theory 'montage' of the everyday politics of 'authenticating' within the social world of New Orleans Jazz. This 'montage' is part philosophy of science, grounded theory and an autoethnography of memory utilizing a unique set of 'riffs' from Porter to Ekins designed to develop what they call a 'case history' of Bunk Johnson, perhaps 'the most important single musician' of New Orleans Jazz, and the politics of 'authenticating as authenticity'. The book gives unique insights into the use of the philosophy of George Herbert Mead within Ekins' specific blend of grounded theory developed in a response to Porter's 'riffs'. The result is a truly groundbreaking account of how to do symbolic interactionist grounded theory, an account that is second to none in its sophistication. -- Barry J. Gibson, University of Sheffield, UK