At the Intersection of Musical Culture and Historical Legacy: Feminist Musicology in Poland
At the Intersection of Musical Culture and Historical Legacy: Feminist Musicology in Poland

Summary/Abstract: In Poland, feminist perspectives in the field of musicology are still not only very rare, but also hold a highly problematic status. Both an overview of relevant Polish literature and scholars’ experiences reveal a two-sided problem within Polish feminist musicology, where there is on the one hand a great disregard for the study of intersections between sex, gender and music, and on the other hand a significant controversy over how to approach the subject once it is acknowledged. The challenges which today’s feminist musicology in Poland needs to confront, are connected with complex and very often ambivalent way in which classical music culture and the feminist discourse have been shaped since the beginning of the communist era (1945-1989). Reaching back to that period, various historical, political and social factors have influenced the study of women and gender in the contemporary Polish musicology. Three equally crucial issues are investigated in order to understand the status of feminist musicology in Poland: 1) the challenges Polish musicology has had to face due to the communist propaganda; 2) the way in which communist reality has shaped the attitude to feminism in the society; 3) the way in which history of Polish classical music is influenced by the figure of Grażyna Bacewicz. The essay characterizes each of these phenomena and presents how they may have contributed to the problematic status of feminist musicology in Poland nowadays.

• Details
• Contents