Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Feminist musicology, Susan McClary, Marica J. Citron, feminism and music
Abstract
One of the currently prevalent analytic approaches in academia is feminist theory and criticism. Its combination with musicology has influenced the field for the past four decades. The goal of the new approach, loosely termed “feminist musicology,” was to discover, analyze, discuss, and promote the representation of women and the “feminine” essence in various disciplines of music. Today, feminist musicology is highly researched, research is published in books and journals, and scholarly papers are presented at various musicological conferences around the world. This new approach introduces the ideologies of feminism to the study of music. Susan McClary and Marcia J. Citron are two musicologists who were influenced by these ideologies and have guided the musicological world in this direction of feminist musicology.
Susan McClary was born in 1946, received her doctorate from Harvard in 1976, and currently teaches at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Marcia J. Citron was born in 1945, received her doctorate from University of North Carolina in 1971, and currently teaches at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Both of these musicologists have made significant contributions to the emerging field of feminist musicology. Both researched the ideas of gender musical construction within musical narratives, music as a gendered discourse, and historical and social factors that affected women in music. While they researched with similar methodologies, the subject of their personal research has differed.
This area of musicology has become vitally important as today's musicians increasingly evaluate the effects of social movements upon the music and music scholarship of a particular time and culture. This investigation goes beyond music itself by including other disciplines, such as sociology and psychology, to further understand musicology. The path of developing the field of feminist musicology has been challenging; however, McClary and Citron are persistent pioneers. As scholars, they have met considerable resistance, both outside the feminist movement and within it. Overall, Susan McClary and Marcia J. Citron have significantly expanded the scope of musicology through their application of feminist theory.
Faculty Sponsor or Advisor’s Name
Dr. Lyle Anderson and Dr. Sandra Yang
Campus Venue
Stevens Student Center, Room 245
Location
Cedarville, OH
Start Date
4-16-2014 2:40 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
A New Approach: The Feminist Musicology Studies of Susan McClary and Marcia J. Citron
Cedarville, OH
One of the currently prevalent analytic approaches in academia is feminist theory and criticism. Its combination with musicology has influenced the field for the past four decades. The goal of the new approach, loosely termed “feminist musicology,” was to discover, analyze, discuss, and promote the representation of women and the “feminine” essence in various disciplines of music. Today, feminist musicology is highly researched, research is published in books and journals, and scholarly papers are presented at various musicological conferences around the world. This new approach introduces the ideologies of feminism to the study of music. Susan McClary and Marcia J. Citron are two musicologists who were influenced by these ideologies and have guided the musicological world in this direction of feminist musicology.
Susan McClary was born in 1946, received her doctorate from Harvard in 1976, and currently teaches at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Marcia J. Citron was born in 1945, received her doctorate from University of North Carolina in 1971, and currently teaches at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Both of these musicologists have made significant contributions to the emerging field of feminist musicology. Both researched the ideas of gender musical construction within musical narratives, music as a gendered discourse, and historical and social factors that affected women in music. While they researched with similar methodologies, the subject of their personal research has differed.
This area of musicology has become vitally important as today's musicians increasingly evaluate the effects of social movements upon the music and music scholarship of a particular time and culture. This investigation goes beyond music itself by including other disciplines, such as sociology and psychology, to further understand musicology. The path of developing the field of feminist musicology has been challenging; however, McClary and Citron are persistent pioneers. As scholars, they have met considerable resistance, both outside the feminist movement and within it. Overall, Susan McClary and Marcia J. Citron have significantly expanded the scope of musicology through their application of feminist theory.
