Politics of Gender in Global Song

Catalog description

How might we hear and critique representations of gender through song? And how does a global approach – highlighting similarities and differences across cultures – enrich our understanding of what song can be and do? This dual emphasis on gender and globalism will inform our exploration of song around the world, with stops in Europe, the Americas, East Asia, Southwest Asia and North Africa. We will engage gender as a critical lens through which to interpret musical and textual meanings across diverse styles and genres: from the German Lied, through the Chilean Nueva Canción (“New Song”) movement, to iconic singer-songwriters in the Arab world and K-pop. We will explore, on the one hand, how musicians have constructed gender through song culture, with a particular emphasis on women’s perspectives, and, on the other, the ways in which gender plays out in the reception of song across scholarship, performance, and the popular imagination. This will lead to a deepened appreciation of song not only as a musical genre, but also as a vehicle for socio-cultural critique through the ages and across the globe.