Course Catalogue

Humanities and Social Science

This module discusses how music influences and reflects individual, collective and marginalised identities, and how the structure of society influences music as well as identity itself.

Outline Syllabus:Sociology of musical identities. Musical identities in historical perspective. Musical identities and the life course. Musical identities, learning and education. Feminist identities and music. Postfeminist identities and music. Masculine identities and music. Racialised identities and music. Music and Blackness. White nationalist identity and music. National identity and music. Globalisation and transnational musical identities.

Module Overview:
After completing the module you should be able to:

• Utilise sociological perspectives on musical identities to place them within their historical and sociocultural contexts.
• Explain the connections between music and people's diverse identities via concrete case examples.
• Explain the role of music in expressing, reflecting and modelling diverse individual and group identities, including marginalised identities.

Additional Information:The module explores the relation between music and identity via sociological approaches, including general theoretical accounts and more specific case example investigations of musical identities, duly studied within their historical and sociocultural contexts. How does music resonate with people’s identity, and how does identity impact music? Is music only an expression of personal taste, or is there more to say about this relation? We’ll discuss how music influences and reflects individual and collective identity, and how the structure of society influences music as well as identity, including marginalised ones. The module aims at increasing students’ insights on where, how and why people listen to music, how music contributes to shaping people’s identity, how music forms, expresses and subverts hegemonic ideologies, and how music affects our norms and values.