Towards a critical understanding of music, emotion and self‐identity

TLDR

The article outlines a dominant sociological view that treats music as a positive resource for active self‑making. The author argues that this view relies on a flawed notion of self and an overly optimistic view of music, and proposes a more critical conception of personal identity and a balanced appraisal of music‑society relations. The study analyzes interviews to examine these relationships. The analysis shows that music is entangled with capitalist authenticity and consumption, and that emotional self‑realization through music is linked to status competition.

Abstract

The article begins by outlining a dominant conception of these relations in sociologically‐informed analysis of music, which sees music primarily as a positive resource for active self‐making. My argument is that this conception rests on a problematic notion of the self and also on an overly optimistic understanding of music, which implicitly sees music as highly independent of negative social and historical processes. I then attempt to construct a) a more adequately critical conception of personal identity in modern societies; and b) a more balanced appraisal of music‐society relations. I suggest two ways in which relations between self, music and society may not always be quite so positive or as healthy as the dominant conception suggests: 1) Music is now bound up with the incorporation of authenticity and creativity into capitalism, and with intensified consumption habits. 2) Emotional self‐realisation through music is now linked to status competition. Interviews are analysed.