Introduction: Towards an Anthropology of Music and Dance Performances in a Transnational Context

Argentinean tango, Indian Bharatanatyam, Senegalese sabar, Mauritian sega, or Dominican bachata, each of these music and dance genres is linked, in the imaginaries of audiences and/or artists, to a “national” identification. Some are recognised as national heritage by a State, others are included on the UNESCO lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Music and dance are thus frequently used by State organisations to convey nationalist ideologies or labelled in national terms by musi...