It is with tremendous enthusiasm that we announce the establishment of The International Foundation for the Theory and Analysis of World Musics (IFTAWM). The new Foundation represents the most recent addition to The Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation, housed at the City University of New York Graduate Center along with RILM and other prominent research centers and organizations. The mission of our new Foundation is to foster a global network of specialized research organizations devoted to specific musical cultures, genres, and/or theoretical-analytical approaches. The Foundation also aims to facilitate the formation, expansion, and development of specialized research units which would otherwise be unable to sustain an independent, autonomous existence on their own. This community of like-minded interest groups will serve both as a hub for collaborative events such as conferences and symposia, and as a resource for member units in developing their own research initiatives. 

The core of the Foundation consists of the journal Analytical Approaches to World Music, the conference series of the same name, and the Routledge book series New Directions in World Music Analysis. One important benefit of the Foundation will be to assure the long-term continuation of the AAWM journal and conference series through its affiliation with CUNY and The Brook Center. In addition to these core elements, the Foundation currently has numerous research units in various stages of formation some of which are already operational and included on the IFTAWM website. Examples include AAWM Music and Nature the forthcoming new journals Analytical Approaches to African Music; and Analytical Approaches to the Music of South Asia as well as the currently restructured AAWM China. 

We invite and encourage existing scholarly organizations to join us. For information regarding the application and approval process for establishing new research units within the Foundation kindly contact Lawrence Shuster at director@iftawm.org. Advantages of membership include nonprofit status, opportunities for joint activities, and an international network of potential resources to advance the research goals of member units. In contrast to a traditional academic society with hierarchical leadership, the Foundation will utilize a shared governance structure in which each member unit is represented by its own delegate. Our objective is to form a global alliance dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of world music theoretical and analytical research. We welcome your participation!

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Lawrence Beaumont Shuster, PhD Music Theory
Director, The International Foundation for the Theory and Analysis of World Musics (IFTAWM.org)
Editor, Analytical Approaches to World Music (AAWMjournal.com)
Series Co-Editor, New Directions in World Music Analysis (Routledge)
Co-Organizer, AAWM 2022 / Sheffield (AAWMconference.com)
Lecturer in Music Theory, Cornell University