Claiming Space: Discourses on Gender, Popular Music, and Social Change
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Claiming Space: Discourses on Gender, Popular Music, and Social Change bjorck.indb 1 2011-01-24 12:18:11 bjorck.indb 2 2011-01-24 12:18:13 Cecilia Björck Claiming Space Discourses on Gender, Popular Music, and Social Change Academy of Music and Drama University of Gothenburg bjorck.indb 3 2011-01-24 12:18:14 Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education (Musikpedagogik) at the Academy of Music and Drama, Faculty of Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts, University of Gothenburg ArtMonitor dissertation No 22 ArtMonitor is a publication series from the Board for Artistic Research (NKU), Faculty of Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts, University of Gothenburg A list of publications is added at the end of the book. ArtMonitor University of Gothenburg Faculty Office of Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts Storgatan 43 PO Box 141 SE 405 30 Gothenburg Sweden www.konst.gu.se Translation of data excerpts: Lynn Preston in cooperation with the author Graphic design: Daniel Flodin Cover & layout: Anna Kerstin Källman Cover illustration: Jenny Berggrund Printed by: Intellecta Infolog AB, Kållered 2011 © Cecilia Björck 2011 ISBN 978-91-978477-1-1 bjorck.indb 4 2011-01-24 12:18:14 there are many dimensions involved in learning to play music (quote from the empirical data) bjorck.indb 5 2011-01-24 12:18:14 Abstract Title: Claiming Space: Discourses on Gender, Popular Music, and Social Change Swedish title: Att ta plats: diskurser om genus, populärmusik och social förändring Language: English Keywords: space, spatiality, popular music, girls, women, gender, social change, agency, music education, discourse analysis ISBN: 978-91-978477-1-1 This compilation (portfolio) thesis explores how language is used in the context of gender-equity music initiatives to construct ideas about gender, popular music, and social change. More specifically, it examines the use of spatial metaphors and concepts revolving round the idea that girls and women need to “claim space” to participate in popular music practices. The empirical material consists of recorded round-table discussions with staff and participants from four different initiatives in Sweden, all with the explicit aim to increase the number of girls and women involved in popular music production and performance. They include a time-limited project by a youth organization, a grass-roots network for young musicians, an adult education course, and a pop/rock music camp for girls. A Foucault-inspired discourse analysis method in six stages was used to examine the data in terms of discursive constructions, discourses, action orientation, positionings, prac- tice, and subjectivity. The results are organized in four themes – Sound, Body, Territory, and Room – and are discussed in relation to the concepts of performativity (Judith Butler), feminine body spatiality (Iris Marion Young), and gaze (Michel Foucault and others). The idea of “claiming space” is found to be involved in two dialectics. The first dialectic is formed by space-claiming understood as on the one hand extrovert self-promotion to be seen and heard, and on the other hand, as introvert focus on the musical craft. A second dialectic is formed by an ongoing struggle between empowerment and objectification, i.e., between being an acting subject and being the object of a disciplining gaze. bjorck.indb 6 2011-01-24 12:18:15 Contents Abstract Foreword 11 Part I Chapter 1 Introduction 15 Prelude: The Drummer who got Stuck in the Practice Room 15 Rationale 17 Purpose Statement 19 Clarifications 19 Structure of the Thesis 20 Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework 23 Discourse, Performative Gender, and Gaze 23 The Performative Character of Language 24 Examining the Distinction “Construction vs. Reality” 25 Ontology and Discourse 26 Subjectivity 27 The Question of Agency 28 Performativity and Validity 29 Chapter 3 Methods for Collecting and Analyzing Data 31 Collection 31 Focus 33 Analysis 35 Translation 38 Presentation 39 bjorck.indb 7 2011-01-24 12:18:15 Chapter 4 Contextualizing the Study in Sweden 41 Politics and Policies of Gender Equality 41 Gender and Education 43 Spaces for Learning Music 44 Chapter 5 Article Summaries 51 Chapter 6 Discussion 55 Distributed Meanings of Space 55 Space, Voice, Gaze: Core Problems of Claiming Space 57 Opening and Closing Doors: Space as Agency or Privacy 58 The Empowerment – Objectification Dialectic 59 Claiming Space Masculine Style? 61 The Capacities of Spatial Discourse 63 The Spatial Capacities of Music 66 Implications for Music Education 67 Final Remarks 68 References 71 Notes 78 Part II Chapter 7 Article 1. Freedom or Constraint? Readings 83 on Popular Music and Gender Chapter 8 Article 2. Volume, Voice, Volition: Claiming Gendered 103 Space in Popular Music Soundscapes bjorck.indb 8 2011-01-24 12:18:15 Chapter 9 Article 3. Body-Space, Gender, and Performativity 119 in Popular Music Practice Chapter 10 Article 4. Gender, Popular Music, and Claiming Space: 147 The Territory Metaphor Chapter 11 Article 5. A (Musical) Room of One’s Own: Gender, 165 Space, and Learning Popular Music Swedish Summary 189 Appendices 1– 4 Appendix 1 205 Appendix 2 207 Appendix 3 217 Appendix 4 241 bjorck.indb 9 2011-01-24 12:18:16 bjorck.indb 10 2011-01-24 12:18:16 Foreword I am deeply thankful for having had the opportunity to produce a doctoral dissertation. It has been a time-consuming, difficult, fascinating, and extremely instructive process. The project has been professional, but a personal one as well, helping me to better understand my own life. Special thanks go to the following: – to all respondents, whose voices I have listened to again and again, for gene- rously taking time to share their perspectives. – to my wise and generous supervisors, who have been of tremendous help to me: Stig-Magnus Thorsén, University of Gothenburg; Elizabeth Gould, Uni- versity of Toronto; and Claes Ericsson, University of Gothenburg/Halmstad University. Thanks also to Göran Folkestad, Lund University, who functioned as my supervisor at an earlier stage. – to Marie Nordberg, Karlstad University, serving as external reader at a mid- process seminar, and to Tia DeNora, University of Exeter, serving as external reader at a seminar towards the end, for providing encouraging comments as well as insightful suggestions. – to the staff at the Faculty of Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts at the Uni- versity of Gothenburg (especially to Anna Frisk, Sverker Jullander, Johannes Landgren, and Anna Lindal), and to the staff at the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg (especially to Anders Carlsson) for guidance, support, and help with practical matters. – to various institutions and foundations for enabling me to finish my dis- sertation and present my work at various conferences: the Faculty of Fine, Applied, and Performing Arts at the University of Gothenburg, Lärarför- bundet, Tobias Norlind-stiftelsen för musikforskning, Kungliga Musikaliska Akademin, Adlerbertska stipendiestiftelsen, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse, and Trygghetsstiftelsen. – to members of the music education research seminar groups in Gothenburg and Malmö, and to members of the Text&Power seminar (Text&Makt-gruppen) 11 bjorck.indb 11 2011-01-24 12:18:16 at the Department of Education, University of Gothenburg, for lively and productive discussions. – to the anonymous journal reviewers of articles 1 and 2 for their constructive comments. – to various readers for useful feedback through formal and informal discus- sions: Jay Lemke, Patrick Schmidt, Christine Räisänen, Maj Asplund Carlsson, and Øivind Varkøy. – to my friend and colleague Anette Hellman for helpful comments regarding the pedagogical structuring of my text. – to professional translator Lynn Preston for helping me to find the right translation of quotes. – to Anna Kerstin Källman for helping me with the final formatting of my text. – to my parents, Lars and Anita Berggrund, for all their love and support. – to my parents-in-law, Åke and Harriet Björck, for generously providing me with a momentary and much needed “room of my own” at various points during the writing process. – to my sister Jenny for occasional breakfasts in town and for illustrating the book cover. – to my beloved partner Ulric for support in innumerous ways throughout this process. – to our dear children Johan, Ella, and Mikael, who have shown a great deal of patience, especially during the final phase. Yes – your mom has finished that book now! 12 bjorck.indb 12 2011-01-24 12:18:16 Part I bjorck.indb 13 2011-01-24 12:18:16 bjorck.indb 14 2011-01-24 12:18:16 Chapter 1 Introduction Prelude: THE DRUMMER WHO got Stuck in THE Practice Room Around the time I turned fifteen, I had a strong sense that it was time for some- thing new. I had taken piano lessons for nine years, sang in the choir, achieved good grades at school and overall performed well. At this stage, I wanted to do something unexpected, to surprise people around me (and maybe myself as well). I declared to my parents that I wanted to play the drums, borrowed an old drum set from a family friend, and dragged it to my room. I had always enjoyed rhythmical music, and on my piano I played pop, gospel music and jazz, from sheet music and by ear. Earlier, when I was around twelve, I had tried to form a band with a girlfriend. We sang, played the piano and the acoustic guitar, rehearsed, and made posters for gigs that were never realized. But this time, I was ready. I started taking afternoon percussion lessons at the local municipal music school. Quite motivated and aroused by the drum kit’s qualities of being a pow- erful, physical instrument, I did my practice well, struggling with paradiddles and rolls. But how was I supposed to find someone to form a group with? At the music school, I was the only girl taking percussion.