Being a public scholar means to be committed to different pedagogies to share knowledge beyond academic circles; to build a network to advance feminist and queer perspectives in music that includes musicians, music critics, record labels, filmmakers, bloggers, visual artists, music critics and researchers; and to offer my scholarly work as a platform to build a community of practice interested in documenting experiences that otherwise would be overlooked and marginalized.
Research Description
My dissertation calls attention to music as a gendered social activity in Peru. It builds on the findings of my previous research on the politics of gender in punk music and is informed by the feminist and queer perspectives I have immersed myself in as a doctoral student at the Social Justice Institute. I am interested in theorizing music as an extension of sensual/sexual practices and dynamics of power, invoking different ways of listening that subvert musical discourses and conventional gender roles. I propose to integrate the auditory and affective dimensions of music, to bring the sonic and visual elements of the gendering of music, which is impossible in a written text alone, by curating an exhibition as part of my doctoral dissertation. An exhibition, unlike a dissertation written in English, can explore the gendering of music and sexuality through aural and visual experiences combining video, recordings, and visual art. It will provide an opportunity to make doctoral-level scholarship accessible to Spanish speaking non-academic audiences and will enhance public perceptions of academic research.
What does being a Public Scholar mean to you?
For me, being a public scholar means to be committed to different pedagogies to share knowledge beyond academic circles; to build a network to advance feminist and queer perspectives in music that includes musicians, music critics, record labels, filmmakers, bloggers, visual artists, music critics and researchers; and to offer my scholarly work as a platform to build a community of practice interested in documenting experiences that otherwise would be overlooked and marginalized.
In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with the Public Scholars Initiative?
PSI enables doctoral students the opportunity to think outside the academic box, to experiment with other forms of knowledge creation, translation, and dissemination. While traditional doctoral work is generally a solitary process, PSI offers the opportunity to transform it into a collaborative process, to engage with a variety of individuals and groups from different backgrounds, to make the research results accessible beyond narrow and very specialized technical fields.
How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?
My doctoral studies have already broadened my career horizons. The knowledge that I have acquired has positioned me to enter public debates on gender issues, to challenge gender biases in music research in Peru, and to pursue research projects, public discussions and presentations with music critics, scholars and activists in Latin America and Spain.
How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?
My doctoral studies have galvanized my commitment to different pedagogies and to share knowledge beyond academic circles. I have built a network to advance feminist and queer perspectives in music that includes musicians, music critics, record labels, filmmakers, bloggers, visual artists, music critics and researchers in Peru. By aligning my project with the priorities of feminist and queer musicians, I hope to address some of the pervasive gender inequities in music research and practices and to destabilize the musical canon.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in gender studies at the Social Justice Institute to engage with feminist and queer theories, and to use this knowledge to build public awareness concerning gender biases in music research in Peru. While feminist music scholarship has produced a body of scholarly knowledge questioning the politics of gender and sexuality over several decades, music studies in Peru has not yet addressed issues such as how the canon promotes aesthetic hierarchies, or how gatekeeping is enforced. It is even more difficult to find studies that interrogate how music could be a cultural space to destabilize conventional norms and representations of gender and sexuality.
Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?
I decided to study at UBC because it provides the exact combination of knowledge and expertise that I need for my dissertation research: from gender, to music, to Latin American studies. And I am lucky enough to live in this beautiful campus located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.
