Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?

The first object is the Swiss Alphorn. The Swiss Alphorn is a tool that was used by Swiss shepherds to communicate with humans and animals, it was used to call the cows from the pastures to their stable, during milking it was blown gently to soothe the cattle, and in the evening, it was used to bring the communities together for the evening prayer. (Swiss fun facts #1:: Ems Dental) The earliest record there is of the Alphorns dates to 1595. (Tourismus Alphorn – the sound of natural tones.) Although the alphorn has somewhat lost its original function, it has become a cultural symbol and a musical instrument of Switzerland. Therefore, this object belongs to the Swiss community however, since it has become a popular stereotype of Switzerland, people from other countries and cultures are becoming educated about it.

 

Nonetheless, the Alphorn still belongs to the true Swiss community of knowers because this horn does not exist in any other cultures and hence these knowers share a common culture. For many people, this may be a somewhat strange aspect of culture and although I have lived in Switzerland for many years and I appreciate the importance behind it, I acknowledge that I will never truly understand the meaning and culture behind it since I was not born and raised with the culture.

My second object is a photo album presenting my parent’s life before they had children. The photos in this album represent the history of my family and make me conscious of the events that happened before I was born.

 

Knowledge is facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. (Duell Knowledge) Although some knowledge really is our own individual knowledge, we have a place in a community of knowers who possess the same or similar knowledge. My family’s knowledge from before I was born is being passed down to me through this photo album. In this case, the transfer of knowledge here is not deliberate since my family made this album for themselves so that they are able to remember these memories years after they occurred. Their aim with this album was not to pass down the family’s history. The images in this album may be irrelevant for other people who do not belong to this particular community of knowers, my family.

 

This album illustrates the scope of my parents’ travels and the experiences they had before I was born. However, the knowledge I gain from the images in the album help me to be able to imagine their lives and experiences in the 1980s. The album includes highly important and memorable events in my parents’ adult lives such as their engagement. Through these images, I gain a better understanding of how they have become the people they are today.

 

For other communities of knowers, these pictures might not have any relevance to their lives since to them it is just pictures of individuals that they do not know and are not interested in their past. The community of knowers of this certain photo album is very finite, including only my family and their friends, however this photo album has great value and importance in my family since it brings knowledge and will continue to transfer knowledge as it gets passed down to future generations.

The third object that I have selected is the original script of ich habe meine Zuversicht, BWV 188 which is a church cantata composed by Bach. This music piece was composed and first performed in the early 18th century in the German city Leipzig (Bach digital - ich habe meine zuversicht BWV 188). This image shows a particular segment of the music sheet which has been affected by the acidification of the ink. Many musicians have attempted to reconstruct the entire piece, since parts of the original copy were lost before an auction in 1774, and the other parts of the composition were sold to individuals all around the globe. (Leonard Cantata no. 188, "ich habe meine ...: Details) Although they have attempted to reconstruct the piece, it was done entirely based on predictions of Bach's composing style.

 

Due to the original manuscript being sold to several different people, it implies that we do not have the entire knowledge of the original piece. This knowledge belongs to a particular community of knowers which involves the composer himself, audiences in the 18^th century and people who have performed this piece in the past. 21st century musicians are still attempting to determine the possible chords and harmonies that were used when it was first composed. Nonetheless, it is possible to redevelop and recreate the music piece because they have certain methods and tools that make it somewhat possible to replicate the original, however, it will never be the exact same as how it was when Bach originally created it. The knowledge that is involved in this piece of music belongs to this particular community of knowers because they have the historical background and information about music to be able to properly appreciate the cantata, whereas people who have little to no knowledge about the topic might not appreciate the effort and beauty of the reconstruction of the piece.

 

This object aids in illuminating the prompt “Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?” as this knowledge only applies to a certain community because one must have sufficient knowledge of Bach's music style in order to be able to investigate the reconstruction of this cantata, which people who are not musicians would not be capable of, since it is necessary to have an understanding of the history of music, the composition of music and the chords used to create music. The necessity of having the advanced knowledge of music and interest in this topic limits the number of knowers in this community. There is a high barrier of entry into this specific community of knowledge.

Bach Digital - Ich Habe Meine Zuversicht BWV 188, 28 Feb. 2022, https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000228?lang=en.

 

Duell, Chris. “Knowledge.” Docs.elevio.help, Elevio, 5 Apr. 2018, https://docs.elevio.help/en/articles/81626-knowledge.

 

Leonard, James. “Cantata No. 188, ‘Ich Habe Meine ...: Details.” AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.com/composition/cantata-no-188-ich-habe-meine-zuversicht-bwv-188-bc-a154-mc0002379582.

 

“Swiss Fun Facts #1:: Ems Dental.” SWISS FUN FACTS #1: | EMS Dental, https://www.ems-dental.com/en/swiss-fun-facts-1.

 

Tourismus, Schweiz. “Alphorn – the Sound of Natural Tones.” Switzerland Tourism, https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/planning/about-switzerland/custom-and-tradition/alphorn-the-sound-of-natural-tones/.