ABSTRACT
This chapter emphasises that the rules and routines of the practice are elements that produce a recognisable and more or less coherent practice, even though they change and are in constant flow. Émile Benveniste's conceptualisation of rhythm is significant for the current argument in at least two ways. First, it refers to a 'particular manner of flowing', which offers an entry point to the examination of cultural mobilities; and, second, it alludes to processes of configuration and reconfiguration, to fluid dispositions and to non-fixed structures. Drawing on Benveniste's definition of rhuthmos, the chapter addresses rhythm in relation to the tension between cultural continuity and change. It highlights the tension between fixity and flow that characterises musical mobilities by exploring rhythm as a conceptual tool. The chapter focuses on patterns of circulation through the notion of rhythm. It shows how approaching continuity and change from a rhythmic perspective can sensitise us to the cadences of being and belonging.
