Study Day
May 14, 2025, 9h - 18h, Maison de la Recherche, Paris 8 University

Organization: Andrée Friaud and Frédérick Duhautpas
Moderation: Mathilde Darmon, Jordi Tercero, Andrée Friaud, Frédérick Duhautpas
Support team: Matthieu Quintin, Sam Boulanger, Olive et Aurélien

Summary : This seminar aims to explore popular music through the lens of gender and intersectionality, examining how social constructions of gender influence musical practices, representations, and performance contexts. Adopting a resolutely interdisciplinary approach that extends beyond the boundaries of traditional musicology, it investigates the complex interplay between music, lyrics, imagery, gender identities, and social positioning to better understand the aesthetic and social dynamics at work within various musical scenes. 

Several discussions will focus on the roles and representations of women artists and gender diversity in American, French, and Japanese hip-hop, as well as in pop and heavy metal. They will also examine the portrayal and eroticization of masculinities in musicvideos. One analytical case study will explore the use of amplified silence in experimental music as a compositional strategy to underscore the silencing and social violence experienced by gendered and racialized minorities. Additional topics will include the importance of autonomous and creative media practices within the 1990s Riot Grrrl movement, along with an analysis of three audiovisual manifestos by Mylène Farmer, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. The exploration of subversive queer gestures in the context of music-to-image creation will also be part of the program. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of the Sounding a Queer Rebellion project, accompanied by a screening of a film linked to its artistic and activist initiatives.

Guests : Keivan Djavadzadeh (Paris 8 University), Chiharu Chujo (Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 University), Kenza Naimi (Journalist, FIP french radio station), André Friaud (Paris 8 University),Ciel Malésieux (Paris 8 University ), Lysistrata Barbière (Paris 8 University), Paola Toutous (Paris 8 University), Sarah Lehad (Paris 8 University), Jérémy Michot (Tours University), Fiorella Montero – Diaz (Keele University, UK), Frédérick Duhautpas (Paris 8 University)