Music Gender: Global Persp

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

How are gender dynamics woven into, contested, or reinforced within the music-making and consumption practices of societies and/or communities around the globe? This inquiry has been a subject of analysis in music and performance studies since the 1980s, marked by the infiltration of gender and queer theory into these fields. Scholars have delved into examining gender power dynamics in the consumption and production of music across cultures, musical genres, and aesthetic frameworks. Their exploration has intersected with studies of gender, race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, age, religion, and disability. Focusing on recent scholarship that tackles the ongoing social transformations of how gender is performed and experienced, globally, we will ask: In what ways has this transformation influenced the emergence of novel global musical genres and scenes? What role do artists and creators play in contributing to these transformative changes? With these questions in mind, this course will explore the historical and contemporary approaches to studying gender and music, focusing on literature in ethnomusicology and popular music studies. It will engage artists, musical traditions, genres, institutions, and audiences that inform local and global gender politics with a special emphasis on women's roles. Course also listed as MUSC 3289 and JCIV 3289 .