معرفی
Professor Alexander M. Cannon is a Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Birmingham. He specializes in Vietnamese traditional music, creativity studies, and the intersection of music with environmental and socio-cultural change. His current ERC-funded project SoundDecisions examines musical practices in southern Vietnam's Mekong Delta, focusing on how farmer-musicians use improvised music to navigate environmental and economic challenges.
Education includes a BA in Music and Mathematical Economics from Pomona College (California), and MA and PhD in Musicology/Ethnomusicology from the University of Michigan. His 2022 monograph Seeding the Tradition won the 2023 Royal Musical Association Book Prize, analyzing how Vietnamese musicians blend Daoist creativity concepts with neoliberal frameworks.
Research interests include intangible cultural heritage, queer ethnography, and musical sustainability. He teaches modules on critical musicology, fieldwork methods, and music's role in protest movements. His recent work explores climate change impacts on traditional music practices and diasporic musical identity.
Professional roles include Principal Investigator for SoundDecisions, Co-Editor of Ethnomusicology Forum, and member of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology Executive Committee. Awards include the 2023 book prize for his analysis of creativity in southern Vietnamese music.
His research combines ethnographic fieldwork, archival studies, and quantitative methods to address interdisciplinary questions. He actively mentors students in Vietnamese music studies, Asian diaspora musics, and music's role in socio-environmental contexts.
