This essay serves to frame the theme of music and musicians of Punjab and to introduce the articles in this special issue with reference to that framework. Finding the genre — based and stylistic categories of both mainstream Western and Indian discourses to be generally inadequate, the framework it suggests aims to productively place Punjabi music phenomena along such axes as gender , ethnicity, class, professionalism, and social function. The emphasis is on the local musical landscape of Punjab. Special attention is given to the agents of music, the Punjabi musicians. The essay concludes with an engagement of the contributors to the volume.
