In 2020 this subject replaced by 102762 - World Music. The subject explores the histories and politics that have shaped the development of Australian music from 1788 to the present day. It critically engages with the historical narrative that perpetuates the dominance of white, post-settler composers and musicians, asking what mechanisms have given rise to some music becoming silenced. How have post-settler musicians approached indigenous music as a challenge that is both aesthetic and ethical? In what ways does the diverse make-up of the Australian population since the mid-twentieth century erode the sharp distinction between the indigenous and the non-indigenous populations in music? Completing this subject will teach students how to critically evaluate Australian music history, to recognise the power of the dominant historical narrative, and to question the assumptions on which it is based. The subject is framed by Attali's theory of noise, which shows how the production, performance, and consumption of music are linked with power and order in society, and introduces Bourdieu's field theory.