In Balkan Fascination, ethnomusicologist Mirjana Lausevic, a native of the Balkans, investigates this remarkable phenomenon to explore why so many Americans actively participate in specific Balkan cultural practices to which they have no familial or ethnic connection.

This collection of essays examines popular forms of dance in the Balkan nations, addressing the ways ethnic and national identity constitutes an important aspect of the performance of Balkan dance. Several essays examine the popularity that Balkan dances and music have found among American audiences.

The contributions to this second volume focus equally on tangible and intangible dimensions of Southeast European regions. They represent the region both as a territorial unit and as a mental construct laden with symbolic meaning. The papers demonstrate that regions, be it the entire Balkan Peninsula or be it a small area somewhere in the mountains, can become palpable, visible, and audible. They can produce culture and they can, at the same time, be products of culture: regions can be constructs of those who inhabit them - or of spatial planning from "above". In any case, both the physical and the symbolic regions are a very relevant issue in Southeast Europe, serving purposes of spatial, ethnic, religious or even professional identification, or of politically motivated border-drawing.

In this second volume, Rusko Matulic continues to formulate a comprehensive bibliography of primarily published sources relating to the history, languages, literature, politics, government, religion, and social sciences of former Yugoslavia, including bibliographical materials on expatriates.

Includes record reviews.

Just as American culture has been constructed by people of many ethnicities, roots music in America is multicultural in nature. Native American music resonates from Indigenous traditions of the Great Plains and the American West. Hispanic culture has spawned Border Music styles such as Conjunto and Tejano, while Cajun and Zydeco grew from cultural cross-pollination in the American South. In northern regions, Polish-American musicians popularized Polka, while Irish-American music holds a rich tradition throughout many regions in the East. This unique volume presents influential musical cultures from throughout the multicultural history of American vernacular song. Series blurb: This series presents five volumes on genres of music that have evolved in distinctly regional styles throughout the nation. With volumes authored by leading music scholars, the series traces the growth of Blues, Country, Folk, and Jazz in their many regional variations, as well as Ethnic and Border music traditions throughout America. Each volume presents an accessible analysis of the genre in its many regional forms, examining the musical elements and, when applicable, lyrical subjects as tied to specific cultures throughout the United States.

The eight volumes in this series span the range of the world's popular music genres from rap, hip hop, soul and jazz, to roots, electronica, dance and club music. Each volume editor has contributed an introductory essay which constitutes a broad overview of the specific group of genres.