International Conference: Narrating Musicology. Reviewing the History/Histories of Musicology
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our conference, originally scheduled for October 2020, had to be postponed and will now take place from 5 to 8 September 2021 at the University of Bern. New deadline for submissions: 1st February 2021. Already accepted papers will be part of the programme of the postponed conference.
In November 1996, a musicological colloquium was held at the University of Bern under the title Musikwissenschaft - eine verspätete Disziplin? (‘Musicology - a Delayed Discipline?’). The discussions and outcomes that took place were then published four years later in an anthology of the same title, edited by Anselm Gerhard. The aim of both the conference and the publication was to focus less on specific key people or institutions, and instead foreground general tendencies within the history of musicology: from its beginning in the late 19th century until the time of publication, and with a scope also beyond the German- speaking world. Although this discussion itself was perhaps due sooner, the approach proved essential for considering the history of the musicological discipline as an object of study in itself. In light of the upcoming 100-year anniversary of the Institute of Musicology, we now take the opportunity to once again reflect on these issues:
- What is the current state of the history of musicology as a discipline?
- How has the reflection on musicology changed current research as well as teaching contents?
- Can musicology still be understood as a “delayed discipline”?
- The conference’s core topics are:
- Reflections on the various histories within musicology (regional, national and international, as well as inter- and intra-disciplinary practice)
- The interaction between musicology’s self-reflexion and our objects of study (protagonists, methods, institutions, the digital age)
- Diversity and inclusivity of musicology and its various sub-disciplines
We invite prospective participants to send their proposals (max. 300 words) for one of the following categories:
- Individual papers (20 minutes plus 10 minutes of discussion)
- Panels (3 related papers of 1.5 hours in total)
- Roundtables (4 shorter presentations of 15 minutes each plus a chaired discussion; 2 hours in total)
- Presentation of films, audio or other media
Please submit your abstracts to narratingmusicology -at-
musik.unibe.ch by the 1st of February 2021.