Reforesting About Music? Auralities of Restoration in Southern Mexico City

Abstract In this article, I explore reforestation as a form of ethnomusicological “practice research.” I build on fieldwork with community reforesting groups in southern Mexico City for whom reforesting provokes participants to develop new kinds of musicking and auditory engagement. The article proposes the term “auralities of restoration” to describe the fluid, exploratory, adaptive ways that those seeking to restore natural environments appropriate and rework the musical and aural cultures around them. It advocates listening to, with, and through such restorative work as a way to articulate the study of music and sound cultures to a context of environmental crisis.