Musical Relationships: Intersections of Race, Gender, Genre, and Listening Situation

Abstract

The ways that music creates bridges and boundaries between people has long been of interest in the sociology of music, and a core problem is understanding patterns in relationships between consumers and producers. Survey research details the comparative context of who likes or dislikes various musical genres, but has little to say about what those categories actually mean to listeners. Ethnographic and interview research offers insight into musicking in particular situations, but seldom compares listeners, artists, and genres in a larger musical field. This study uses a mixed methods approach to examine the bridging and bounding processes organizing relationships between listeners and artists. Based on a survey of students at the University of Mississippi, I examine how musical relationships are shaped by race, gender, genre, and listening situation using a combination of social network analysis and correspondence analysis. Results show an overall pattern of racial segregation in musical tastes that is intersected by multiple paths of racial crossover, from relatively private to public situations. Black musical styles are central to racial crossover in the musical field, creating ambivalent spaces of cultural integration in the context of social segregation. Music profiles of listeners illustrate how situational meanings and comparisons of artists within genres shape musical relationships and mark social distance. The conclusion draws implications for the study of musical practices, racialized musical fields, and mixed methods approaches in cultural sociology.

A multidisciplinary approach on music induced-analgesia differentiated by socio-cultural background in healthy volunteers (MOSART): A cross-over randomized controlled trial protocol

“…Sociological research indicates, among other findings, that music preference correlates with socio-cultural background characteristics, including gender, ethnicity, cultural capital, and economic status. Furthermore, the chosen music can influence individuals' behavior, actions, and emotions [ 26 , 27 ]. As pain is defined as an “unpleasant sensory and emotional experience,” it is expected that different music preferences will influence emotions and thereby also the experience of pain [ 53 ].…”

“…Previous research indicates a crucial role of socio-cultural background (level of education and cultural capital) in music taste formation and music perception [ [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] ]. Thus, while it is clear that people with different backgrounds have different musical tastes, it is not clear to what extent the impact of music on pain endurance depends on these features.…”

“…Current sociological literature provides evidence that humans are differently socialized regarding music taste and music perception [ [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [34] , [35] , [36] ]. Stratified recruitment and randomization (Castor EDC, Ciwit B·V., Amsterdam) based on level of education will be performed to ensure maximum variation in educational levels in our sample.…”

“…While research on pain (management) is increasingly sensitive for socio-cultural differences [ 21 , 22 ], research on MIA notably lacks consideration for socio-cultural background characteristics such as level of education, age or ethnicity. Sociological studies have established that these characteristics – cultural capital as a trait of level of education most specifically – act as key factors contributing to musical taste differentiation [ [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] ] and music perception [ 28 , 29 ]. Moreover, these factors affect musical taste patterns, which in turn are closely aligned with listening experience and social identity, in which musical taste plays a significant role as well [ 30 , 31 ].…”

“…sitting, contemplation, not singing along – during listening and concerts than less ‘legitimate’ music preferences such as rap, schlager or heavy metal [ 32 ]. As a consequence, these socio-cultural background characteristics can potentially affect MIA [ 26 , 27 ], which is why this should be considered when investigating the therapeutic effects of music on pain.…”