Sociological Thinking about Music Education

This chapter introduces the purpose, warrant, and contents of the book Sociological Thinking about Music Education: International Intersections, namely that sociological thinking can help us understand the meanings of music learning and teaching in the context of the communities and societies where they occur. The chapter sets the stage for the collection with autobiographical narratives of the editors’ diverse pathways into sociological thinking. Following a brief survey of the origins of current sociological thinking about music education, which emphasizes perspectives from beyond the Global North, the chapter engages readers with summaries of the enticing chapters that are featured in the text. The chapter concludes by summarizing the ways this collection expands the interdisciplinary field of music education and invites readers to use their own sociological imaginations to interrogate and reimagine the “givens” in music education.