Project description
Restoring women’s role in music history
The 19th century brought many changes. Amongst these was the increase in women’s participation in education and society. For instance, they have contributed, amongst others, to the field of musical life, by performing and composing. Unfortunately, their role in the European history of music has been much neglected and has not found a reflection in music historical records. In that scope, the EU-funded REWID project will provide research that not only will restore women’s important contribution in musicology and their precious agency but also introduce a paradigm shift in gender studies in the field of musicology by focusing on the catalytic role of women’s widowhood and emotions from the loss or liberation of the creative endeavour.
Objective
Whereas past histories of European music have been presented largely in terms of an all-male endeavour, this interdisciplinary project will take the lived experiences of widows as an impetus for developing a new kind of historiography, framed in terms of the history of emotions, that restores women’s individual agency and artistic integrity to the music-historical record. The research will introduce a paradigm shift to gender studies in musicology in two particular respects: first, by rethinking the ways in which widowhood proved to be a catalyst for creative endeavour that was a product both of loss and of a sense of liberation; and secondly, by engaging with widowhood as a lens through which to reconsider the contributions of women who have been overlooked in the dominant narratives of music history. In doing so, the project will address major European policy objectives, particularly those recommended by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 10, to promote gender equality and to reduce social inequalities in all aspects of society.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
W23 Maynooth
Ireland