Feminist Musical Engagements. The Struggle Against Gender Inequalities in Music-Making Practices

This dissertation project sets out to investigate feminist commitments to change within Swedish music scenes with a point of departure in issues of gender. By interviewing musicians with a feminist engagement in effecting change, the study examines feminist practices and perspectives across music scenes and environments. This means that experiences from musical contexts such as opera, rap, jazz, folk music, sound art and music production provide a basis for discussing feminist approaches to change in music beyond notions of gender equality as a matter of enhancing the number of women music-makers. 

The theoretical framework consists of feminist theory with a specific focus on affect and emotions. The concept of affective solidarity (Hemmings 2012) is used to explore and discuss in what ways feminist political potential and action can be understood in relation to music.

PhD student

Rebecca Billström,  rebecca.dobre-billstrom@oru.se