Ruth Davis: The Legacy, Impact, and History-Making Role of the UK's First Named Ethnomusicology Post
Friday 4 April | West Road Concert Hall | 5pm-6.30pm
This Friday, 4 April, the BFE conference will hold a plenary event celebrating our former colleague, the esteemed ethnomusicologist Ruth Davis, who held the first named ethnomusicology post in the UK. Ruth will be joined by a number of former students and colleagues who have gone on to have successful careers within and beyond academia.
Ruth Davis is a towering figure for many ethnomusicologists of North Africa and the Mediterranean. As an early pioneer in the field, her contributions to the understanding of Tunisian Ma’luf, early recordings in Ottoman Palestine and musical circulations in the Mediterranean influenced various generations of scholars. Her position, a newly created “Lectureship in Ethnic Musics” was the first designated ethnomusicology position in the United Kingdom, part of a scheme launched by Thatcher’s government for positions for young scholars in newly emergent fields. As the first female University Teaching Officer in the Faculty of Music and one of the first female fellows at Corpus Christi, she opened the field in more ways than one. This panel, formed by colleagues and former students is a small showing of the breadth of influence that her contribution to the field has elicited. The current cohort of Cambridge ethnomusicologists is delighted for the opportunity to honour and celebrate her pioneering work and impact as part of the BFE conference.
For further details of the 2025 BFE conference, including the plenary event for Ruth Davis, visit the conference website.
