The Blind Man’s Vision: Reflections on the Recurrence of the Blind Poet-Singer Archetype in Different Historical and Geographic Contexts

  • Jorge Linemburg Aix-Marseille Université
Keywords: Blindness, blind musicians, disability studies, complexity, archetype

Abstract

The blind poet-singer corresponds to a recurrent figure in different moments of human history and in the most diverse regions of the globe. The present study presents a survey bringing together the varied ways in which this archetype manifested itself in space-time, demonstrating the existence of records of its presence in the 8th century BC, going through the successive periods in history, entering the 21st century. Its presence has manifested itself all over the world, in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Reflections on the blindness-music relationship are proposed, starting from the perspective of disability studies and neuroscientific research. In the final part, different meanings of the words "blindness" and "vision" are explored, which allow elucidating the complexity of the "vision of the blind", a fundamental concept for understanding the recurrence of the blind poet-singer archetype.

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Published
2022-09-22
How to Cite
Linemburg, J. (2022). The Blind Man’s Vision: Reflections on the Recurrence of the Blind Poet-Singer Archetype in Different Historical and Geographic Contexts. El oído Pensante, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.34096/oidopensante.v10n2.10578