Classical music, misconduct, and gender: A feminist study on social imaginaries and women musicians’ experiences of gender inequality in Finland

In this article-based doctoral dissertation in feminist musicology, I study gendered and
sexual misconduct, emotional abuse, gender inequality, and whiteness in the classical
music culture in Finland. My main question in this dissertation is: How does gender
inequality appear in the classical music culture in Finland, and how are common social
imaginaries of this culture associated with the prevalence of gendered and sexual
misconduct and emotional abuse? The research material consists of in-depth interviews
with fourteen Finnish white women professional pianists, violinists, cellists, and violists
between the ages of 25 and 45. I define gendered and sexual misconduct as encompassing
behaviour ranging from sexist statements to sexualized communication, sexual advances,
and grooming. Emotional abuse I define as continuous non-contact behaviour ranging
from unwarranted anger, denial of support, to consciously setting up a student for failure.
I apply the theorisations and writings by feminist philosopher Moira Gatens to define the
three key concepts (social imaginaries, social norms, and embodied subjectivity) through
which I explore the main question. By investigating overlapping situation-bound and
material representations, narratives, ideals, ready-made images, symbols, and metaphors
(social imaginaries), as well as codes of conducts, beliefs, and values (social norms), over
four distinct articles I scrutinize how intersecting gender inequality is manifested within
the specific context of the classical music piano, violin, and cello culture in Finland.
Utilizing the concept of embodied subjectivity, I also investigate how social imaginaries
and social norms impact and shape individuals’ lived experiences, and how gender
appears as a lived phenomenon. I explore social differences as not only already existing
but also open-ended, processual, and impacted by material components (such as
instruments) (Tiainen et al. 2020). Supporting my theorization of Gatens with feminist
scholar Sara Ahmed’s work, I explore whiteness in this research in the ways that white
individuals are understood as a norm, but also how whiteness appears in its many guises
in the specific context of classical music in Finland.

In this dissertation I explore the interconnectedness between social imaginaries and
specific understandings of masculinity and femininity, revealing binary gender and
heteronormativity as structuring forces. Gender binarity and heteronormativity organize
participation within classical music culture and, at worst, normalize gendered and sexual
misconduct and gendered power discrepancies. On the other hand, constructions of
gender and whiteness emerge through the fleshy performance of Eurocentric gendered
and racialized social imaginaries that are also orientated through material circumstances
composed of instruments, spaces, bodily dispositions, and sounds. While appearing
stagnant, I demonstrate that such social differences are nevertheless fragile and subject to
change.

I also present how the social norms, dominant social imaginaries, and genre boundaries
of classical music generate damaging beliefs and values. Idealizing excellence and other
harmful beliefs may not only facilitate but even justify teachers’ emotionally abusive
behaviour. In summary, gendered and sexual misconduct and emotional abuse are not
isolated incidents but are instead the consequences of a web of elements composed of
social imaginaries, social norms, values, hierarchies, and practices. Based on the findings
of research, I also suggest ways to engage in repair work in order to prevent gendered and
sexual misconduct and emotional abuse.