ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation
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ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: VOICING THE UNHEARD: GENDERED PRACTICES, DISCOURSES, AND STRUGGLES OF GUGAK MUSICIANS IN SOUTH KOREA Hyunjin Yeo, Doctor of Philosophy, 2018 Dissertation directed by: Professor J. Lawrence Witzleben, School of Music (Ethnomusicology) This dissertation investigates how individual musicians’ experiences and gender identity are shaped by interacting with cultural ideals of gender roles in different levels of South Korean society and the ways in which they interact with gendered performances of music. In the last few years, gender has been a popular topic not only in academia but also in everyday conversations in South Korea. Traditional gender norms have been challenged, and various types of masculinities and femininities have emerged. As different ideas of gender roles coexist in society, gugak (literally “national music”) musicians, too, face challenges in the middle of social transition. This study aims to deliver the often unheard voices of two groups of musicians: male gayageum (Korean zither) players playing a “women’s instrument” and female fusion gugak musicians playing “cheap” music. Based on in-depth interviews and my eighteen years’ involvement in the gugak field, I examine how both groups of musicians negotiate conflicts as they face contrasting gender norms and values between the gugak community and South Korean society at large. In this process, their performance becomes the prime site where their ideas of masculinity and femininity are put on display. By playing particular instruments and styles of music, defying negative discourses on them, and demonstrating their competence, I argue that performances and narratives of the musicians ultimately complicate the hegemonic views of masculinity and femininity. By revealing untold stories of the often unheard groups of musicians, this dissertation sheds light on studies concerning what has been excluded from scholarly discussions, which will provide a more comprehensive picture of individual actors and communities in society. This work also contributes to studies on the complex interplay between individual actors, diverse ideas of gender, and performance. VOICING THE UNHEARD: GENDERED PRACTICES, DISCOURSES, AND STRUGGLES OF GUGAK MUSICIANS IN SOUTH KOREA by Hyunjin Yeo Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology 2018 Advisory Committee: Professor J. Lawrence Witzleben, Chair Professor Esther Kim Lee Professor Siv B. Lie Professor Emeritus Robert C. Provine Professor Fernando Rios © Copyright by Hyunjin Yeo 2018 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I wish to record my thanks to my advisor J. Lawrence Witzleben for his continuous encouragement and assistance over many years. I have benefited greatly from his insightful comments, wide knowledge of scholarly literature, and commimemt to support my project, including long hours of discussions on my work. I am also grateful to the members of my committee, Esther Kim Lee, Siv B. Lie, Robert C. Provine, and Fernando Rios for providing me with valuable suggestions and comments for the improvement of my work. I thank former committee member Nicholas Tochka whose intellectual advice guided me in the initial stage of this project. I would like to mention with deep gratitude former and current members of Chunhogarang, Hanayeon, Lin, Meein, Jebi, Bulsechul, Jambinai, Aengbi, and Queen for their willingness to share their stories with me. I am also grateful to Lee Jonggil seonsaengnim for sharing his experiences and continued interests in my project. I especially thank Lee Sooyun, Lee Sinjeong, Shin Soeul, Kim Miso, Han Songyi, and Jeong Bora for arranging meetings with the musicians. It is a particular pleasure to acknowledge my debt to my dear friend Yang Suyeoun who invited me to her performances, shared various stories with me, found and sent me research materials while I was writing in the US, and answered my endless random questions. I also thank Stephanie Choi sincerely for her critical comments and insight into my work from the beginning of my journey as an ethnomusicologist. Invaluable help was furnished by my cohort and colleagues in the ethnomusicology program at the University of Maryland, College Park: Alice Rogers, ii Nathanial Gailey-Schiltz, William Donnie Scally, Víctor Hernández-Sang, Benjamin Jackson, and Julia Topper. I could not imagine that I could meet such a wonderful group of people who could together share ideas, discuss, hang out, survive endless readings and gradings, carry out an experiment, and most importantly support each other. I am truly grateful for our friendship. For offering the continued support and encouragement in various ways, I would also like to thank my mentors and friends in Korea and the US: Park Hyojin, Lim KyungMi, Lee Jieon, Park Heewon, Kang Soyun, Lilly Ahn, Andy Sutton, Heather Willoughby, Kwak Eunah gyosunim, Park Hye Ohn, Isidora Miranda, Kendra Van Nyhuis, Lee Sangah, and Park Hyeona. Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to all my family members in Korea and the US who have always remained encouraging throughout the long journey. I particularly appreciate the support from my parents, Yeo Jaejoon and Kim Seonmi, who have always been supportive and have never wavered in their faith in me. As always, my husband, Eunsong, has been by my side, helping me in innumerable ways from emotional support to critical comments on my work. Without support from my family, I would not have come this far. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Notes on Translation and Romanization .......................................................................... viii Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................1 1.1. The Ambiguity of the Term Gugak ...........................................................................5 1.2. Gender and Music .....................................................................................................9 1.3. Methodology and Theoretical Framework ..............................................................13 1.4. Overview of Chapters..............................................................................................17 1.5. Stories of Two Musicians ........................................................................................20 Chapter 2. Gendered Instruments and Experiences of Male Gayageum Players ..... 26 2.1. Gender Imbalance in Gugak ....................................................................................27 2.2. Gayageum as a “Feminine” Instrument ..................................................................36 2.3. Chunhogarang .........................................................................................................42 Chapter 3. Living and Surviving as Male Gayageum Players .................................... 75 3.1. Understanding the Experiences of Male Gayageum Players in Korean Society ....76 3.2. Chunhogarang: Strategies to Survive ......................................................................87 3.3. Chunhogarang As an Example of Horizontal Segregation ...................................106 Chapter 4. Other All-Male Gugak Ensembles ............................................................ 111 4.1. Bulsechul ...............................................................................................................111 4.2. Acoustic Ensemble Jebi ........................................................................................125 Chapter 5. Examining “Fusion Gugak” ...................................................................... 140 5.1. Definition ..............................................................................................................141 5.2. Fusion Gugak as “Other” ......................................................................................146 5.3. Fusion Gugak Groups: Profile ..............................................................................152 5.4. Gendered Performance ..........................................................................................171 iv Chapter 6. The “Disciplinary Society” and its Discourses on Fusion Gugak Musicians ....................................................................................................................... 182 6.1. Discourses on Fusion Gugak Musicians ...............................................................183 6.2. Formation of Discourses .......................................................................................190 6.3. The Gugak Field as a “Disciplinary Society” .......................................................210 Chapter 7. Narrative Resistance of Fusion Gugak Musicians .................................. 223 7.1. “They’re Not Any Different from Us” ..................................................................225 7.2. “We’re Not Any Different from Them” ................................................................228 7.3. “We’re Doing What They Can’t Do” ....................................................................235