1st Edition
The Lullaby’s Outline Anthropology of a (Not Quite) Universal Practice
By Stéphane Aubinet
Copyright 2026
208 Pages
2 B/W Illustrations
by
Routledge
208 Pages
2 B/W Illustrations
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
This book offers an anthropological exploration of the lullaby, a type of music found in nearly all human societies. The chapters review diverse ethnographic cases, from bedtime routines in Western societies to historical and Indigenous practices. Moving beyond common definitions of the lullaby, the author integrates ‘diverging’ instances of lulling, including mythological narratives, herding... Read more
List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Sleep, Come to the Child: The Lullaby as an Invocation 2. Luring to Sleep: The Lullaby as a Trick 3. Music for the Lords: The Lullaby as Court Music 4. Beyond the Bedroom: The Lullaby as a Genre 5. Sleep and Death: The Lullaby as a Rite 6. Why So Sad? The Lullaby as a Complaint 7. Melodic Embryos: The Lullaby as a Prospect 8. Luxurious Animals: The Lullaby as an Artifact 9. Digital Toys: The Lullaby as a Technology Conclusion Index
Biography
Stéphane Aubinet is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Musicology at the University of Oslo, Norway.
