ABSTRACT
This chapter takes as its assumption that uniform expressions and articulations of modernism do not exist in Asian music. Anyone familiar with scholarly work on modernism and modernity knows that there is no consensus on its meaning and manifestation. Furthermore, the question of what modernism means in Asia is difcult to answer since we are dealing with a vast region that is further subdivided into East, Southeast, South, and Central Asia, each with its own unique history, culture, politics, and social sentiments. Given this challenge, this overview is not meant to be comprehensive, chronological, or denitive. Instead, I will identify salient features of musical modernism drawn from countries across Asia without treating Asia as a monolithic geo-cultural entity.
