Listening in Colonial India: Musical Emotions between Sound, Text, and Image
Kane Hall 225
About the Lecture
Please join us for the 2026 Andrew L. Markus Memorial Lecture, Listening in Colonial India: Musical Emotions between Sound, Text, and Image
What was the impact of colonialism on listening in nineteenth-century north India? How did conceptual vocabularies and explanations for emotional responses to music evolve? Did the way listeners processed their feelings about music dramatically change?
In this lecture, I explore the place of music in the history of the emotions. I begin in the early modern period, and consider theories of embodied response and systems for visualizing music through painting and poetry. I then explore how colonial-era authors writing in vernacular languages drew these older theories into conversation with modern ontologies of music and emotion, often inspired by developments in European understandings of the physics of sound and psychological models of emotion. Despite these developments, I argue that nineteenth and twentieth-century sources show that older concepts continued to shape the discourse in Indian music studies, and were not simply overwritten by new, European theories.
Speaker
Richard Williams
About the Andrew L. Markus Memorial Lecture
This lectureship was established in memory of Andrew L. Markus, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature at the University of Washington from 1986 to 1995. Established through the generosity of family and friends, this annual lecture honors Professor Markus's contribution to the study of Asian languages and literatures.
The lecture series brings to the University of Washington distinguished scholars in the field of Asian Languages and Literature. The annual lecture is considered the premier public event sponsored by the department and is the highest honor that the department can bestow on a scholar in the field.
Accessibility
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully.
- For interpreting, captioning, amplification services, and TTYs: contact the Coordinator of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services via email or at 206.543.1415, 206.543.6452 (TTY), preferably at least 10 days in advance of the event.
- Accessible parking information: for additional questions/accommodations, contact the Transportation Services Events Office via email or at 206.616.8710.
- Map of accessible entrances.
- Printable campus mobility map.
- For general accessibility accommodation requests: contact the Disability Services Office via email or at 206.543.6450, 206.543.6452 (TTY), preferably at least 10 days in advance of the event.
- For interpreting, captioning, amplification services, and TTYs: contact the Coordinator of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services via email or at 206.543.1415, 206.543.6452 (TTY), preferably at least 10 days in advance of the event.
ADA Parking
Since 2019, UW has been working on a comprehensive ADA transition plan to "create environments that are welcoming and accessible to all". As part of that work, 43 parking lots on the Seattle campus have recently been remediated to be ADA compliant, including the following lots used frequently by the College of Arts & Sciences.
ADA compliant parking options for College of Arts & Sciences events:
- N1: 6 stalls that serve The Burke Museum and Gates Hall
- N22: 26 stalls that serve HUB, Hall Health, Thompson, Communications, and Padelford
- Central Plaza Garage (C1-C6): 39 stalls that serve Kane, Suzzallo, Gerberding, Meany, Henry Art, Odegaard
- C1: 12 stalls ‐ dispersed between exits/entrances to Meany Studio Theatre (2), Odegaard (2) and Kane Hall (8)
- C2: 3 stalls ‐ located near 15th Avenue exit/entrance
- C3: 12 stalls ‐ dispersed between exits/entrances to Meany Theatre (7), Odegaard (2) and Kane Hall (3)
- C4: 4 stalls ‐ located near exit/entrance to Henry Art Gallery
- C5: 4 stalls ‐ dispersed between exits/entrances to Odegaard (1) and Kane Hall (3)
- C6: 4 stalls – located near exit/entrance to Henry Art Gallery