Feminist Musicology

MUSIKEN SOM FÖRÄNDRINGSKRAFT presenterar utgångspunkter för aktivistisk musikforskning. Ur ett samhälls- och miljöperspektiv kräver 2000-talets krisvärld aktiv, ställningstagande och förändringsinriktad forskning. Samtidigt skär staten ner finansieringen för utbildning, universitet och forskning. Hur bemöter musikvetare de här utmaningarna?

Forskningsföreningen Suoni rf bedriver aktivistisk och obunden musikforskning. I boken reflekterar föreningens medlemmar över sitt samhällsorienterade forskarskap och presenterar möjligheter för samhälleling och praxisorienterad musikforskning i den finländska musikkulturen.

Bokens författare är musikforskare som utöver sitt forskarskap bl.a. verkar som fria författare, kritiker, radio- och tv-producenter, föreningsaktiva, lärare, dj:n, miljöaktivister och i många andra roller knutna till folkbildning, publikarbete och sakkunniguppdrag. De förenas av en vilja att studera verkligheten genom musik, att arbeta för rättvisa musikaliska praktiker och genom musikforskning kämpa för en bättre värld.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT

This book outlines starting points for activist, i.e., societally critical, praxis oriented and rebellious music research.

The risk society and world of crises in the 21st century require activist research that examines the questions of social and environmental justice and aims for social change. At the same time, the funding for education, universities and research are constantly cut. How do musicologists respond to these challenges?

The members of the independent Research Society Suoni (ry) reflect their ideas about and plans for activist music research. The authors of the book are Finnish music researchers who in addition to their work as researchers, and as linked to that, work as free authors, music and art critics, radio and TV program producers, teachers, DJs, environmental activists, and in other expert positions related to music and arts, public education, audience development, and civil activism.

The authors share a desire to study reality via music, to transform musical practices socially and environmentally more just and sustainable, and to fight for a better world with music and music research.

Contents:

(1) Susanna Välimäki, Juha Torvinen & Sini Mononen: Introduction: Activist music research //
(2) Sini Mononen: Researcher-critic: Art criticism as activism //
(3) Susanna Välimäki: Researcher in radio and television: How and why talk to people about music? //
(4) Kim Ramstedt: Researcher-dj as a cultural mediator: Music and the promotion of equality //
(5) Susanna Välimäki: Researcher at festivals and orchestras: Audience development, societal activism and critical thinking //
(6) Saijaleena Rantanen: Researcher as a history teller: Whose music are we talking about? //
(7) Juha Torvinen: Researcher as an environmental activist: Theses on music researcher's relation to nature //
(8) Kaj Ahlsved: Researcher as media actor, public educator and music pedagogue: Prospects and challenges of social responsibility //
(9) Sini Mononen: Researcher-actor: Praxis oriented institutional criticism //
(10) Sini Mononen & Susanna Välimäki: The ABC of activist music research

In this paper we present three artists of
Brazilian experimental music scene, working with women's
inclusion in the field. Natacha Maurer and Renata
Roman produce, since December 2015, a series of
concerts called Dissonant, where female participation
has to be at least fifty per cent of all artists. Vanessa de
Michelis ministers since 2013 workshops for "stage assembly
do-it-yourself" for women and lesbians. We try
to point the profile of this field, demonstrating the importance
of the work that these three artists / composers
have developed especially through the launch of
other women in this, but also for its own artistic and
pedagogical work (in the case of Vanessa), mainly in the
present political moment in Brazil, characterized by an
institutional coup that was forged from old marks that
are still very current in Brazilian society such as misogyny,
sexism, elitism and racism. We use the notion of
field developed by Pierre Bourdieu, and references as
Georgina Born and Rosane Borges. For writing the paper
we interviewed the composers/creators and important
producers in the field. We also analysed documental
sources like concert programs, CD's inserts and concerts
calls on the internet.

Philip Brett died of cancer on 16 October 2002. The previous year, the GLSG Newsletter had printed “Lesbian and Gay Music”, the uncensored original of the article he and Elizabeth Wood co-authored  for the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, where it appeared with various cuts as “Gay and Lesbian Music”. In December 2002, the Electronic Musicological Review republished the unexcised manuscript in a bilingual version that benefited from detailed discussion with the authors and commentaries by various scholars. In August the following year, I gave a paper on the article at the XIV Congress of the Brazilian Association for Research and Graduate Studies in Music.

The interview that follows was conducted in mid May 2003 to verify ideas I ventured in the paper. It gave rise to a review-article that came out in Echo later on, with excerpts from the interview. An insider’s take on the history of queer musicology written by one of its pioneers under the impact of a beloved colleague’s death, Wood’s statement on co-authorship is a touching tribute to Brett’s memory.

This book outlines starting points for activist, i.e., societally critical, praxis oriented and rebellious music research.

The risk society and world of crises in the 21st century require activist research that examines the questions of social and environmental justice and aims for social change. At the same time, the funding for education, universities and research are constantly cut. How do musicologists respond to these challenges?

The members of the independent Research Society Suoni (ry) reflect their ideas about and plans for activist music research.

The authors of the book are Finnish music researchers who in addition to their work as researchers, and as linked to that, work as free authors, music and art critics, radio and TV program producers, teachers, DJs, environmental activists, and in other expert positions related to music and arts, public education, audience development, and civil activism. The authors share a desire to study reality via music, to transform musical practices socially and environmentally more just and sustainable, and to fight for a better world with music and music research.

The manifesto is edited by Sini Mononen & Susanna Välimäki. Contents:
(1) Susanna Välimäki, Juha Torvinen & Sini Mononen: Introduction: Activist music research //
(2) Sini Mononen: Researcher-critic: Art criticism as activism
(3) Susanna Välimäki: Researcher in radio and television: How and why talk to people about music? //
(4) Kim Ramstedt: Researcher-dj as a cultural mediator: Music and the promotion of equality //
(5) Susanna Välimäki: Researcher at festivals and orchestras: Audience development, societal activism and critical thinking //
(6) Saijaleena Rantanen: Researcher as a history teller: Whose music are we talking about? //
(7) Juha Torvinen: Researcher as an environmental activist: Theses on music researcher's relation to nature //
(8) Kaj Ahlsved: Researcher as media actor, public educator and music pedagogue: Prospects and challenges of social responsibility //
(9) Sini Mononen: Researcher-actor: Praxis oriented institutional criticism //
(10) Sini Mononen & Susanna Välimäki: The ABC of activist music research //

ABSTRACT IN FINNISH

Tämä kokoomateos esittelee aktivistisen musiikintutkimuksen lähtökohtia.

2000-luvun kriisimaailma vaatii yhteiskunnallisesti ja ympäristöllisesti kantaa ottavaa ja muutokseen pyrkivää toiminnallista tutkimusta. Samalla valtio leikkaa koulutuksen, yliopistojen ja tutkimuksen rahoitusta. Miten musiikkitieteilijä vastaa näihin haasteisiin?

Aktivistista musiikintutkimusta harjoittavan, riippumattoman Tutkimusyhdistys Suoni ry:n jäsenet pohtivat kirjassa yhteiskunnallisesti asennoitunutta tutkijuuttaan sekä hahmottelevat yhteiskunnallisen ja toiminnallisen musiikintutkimuksen mahdollisuuksia suomalaisessa musiikkikulttuurissa.

Kirjan tekijät ovat musiikintutkijoita, jotka toimivat tutkijuuden ohella muun muassa vapaina kirjoittajina, kriitikoina, radio- ja tv-ohjelmien tekijöinä, järjestöaktiiveina, opettajina, dj:nä, ympäristöaktivisteina sekä muissa kansanvalistuksen, yleisötyön ja asiantuntijan tehtävissä. Heitä yhdistää halu tutkia todellisuutta musiikin avulla, muuttaa musiikillisia käytäntöjä yhteiskunnallisesti oikeudenmukaisemmiksi ja taistella musiikintutkimuksen keinoin paremman maailman puolesta.