Bringing together humanities, sciences and practice within musicology and psychology

1. Bringing together humanities, sciences and practice within musicology and psychology Richard Parncutt University of Graz, Austria 25th anniversary conference of the German Society for Music Psychology, 12-14 September 2008 This file was revised and extended following the presentation.

2. Etymology Musicology: the study of music • any study of any music Psychology: the study of soul, self or mind (e.g. via behavior and experience)  any study of any soul, self or mind

3. Which is more important? Object of research • person • music Context of object • society • history • culture

4. Alterity and the Other The subject (speaker/writer) • tacitly assumes a superior position • perceives Other relative to that position Examples: • gender alterity women: the Other sex • cultural alterity non-western: Other peoples • academic alterity humanities: Other disciplines

5. Music-Ology • Object of research • music in different representations • signal, experience, performance, memory, score… • systematic musicology (the Other musicology) • Context of object • society, history, culture • historical musicology & ethnomusicology (the Real musicology)

6. Psych-Ology • Object of research: • behavior/experience of individuals • psychology (the Real study of human behavior) • Context of object: • human society, history, culture • anthropology (the Other study of human behavior)

7. and by the way:“Science” is not Wissenschaft! In modern British and American English, “science” implies “positivist” scholarship  natural sciences • disciplines with similar methods (e.g. social sciences) “Humanities” and “sciences” are mutually exclusive categories! Wissenschaft = scholarship, research, academe wissenschaftlich = scholarly, research-based, academic

8. HumanitiesSome slightly dangerous generalisations • object of research • specific manifestations of culture (e.g. music performances, works) • epistemology (knowledge acquisition, “truth”) • personal experience and observation • intuition and introspection • expert discussion (a kind of intersubjectivity) • research methods • qualitative, analytic, critical, speculative, “subjective” • researchers • institutionally qualified or well recognized • expected to come to different conclusions

9. Sciences (of culture)More slightly dangerous generalisations • object of research • general issues (about culture, e.g. what is musical emotion?) • epistemology • systematic observation • data analysis • comparison of hypotheses with evidence • research methods • quantitative, data-orientiert, empirical, “objective” • researchers • not necessarily institutionally qualified or well recognized • expected to come to similar conclusions (the implied “truth”)

10. Subjectivity, objectivityAmbiguous value judgments! Three cases: 1. the research object itself (Geist / Natur) 2. distance between researcher & research object 3. agreement among researchers Subjectivity is considered… • good in humanities • bad in sciences

11. Music (ology) according to Nicholas CookMusic: A very short introduction(Oxford, 1998) Exposes musicological prejudices against: • popular and non-western musics (musical Others) • women and non-westerners (human Others) Seems unaware of prejudice against: • musical sciences • non-Angloamerican musicology Contents page could have included: • musical perception, cognition, emotion • music, rhythm and movement • music and personality; development of ability • music, the body and the brain • the nature, functions and origins of music

12. Academe: A very short introductionSome broad generalizations and idealisations

13. Academe: A very short introductionSome broad generalizations and idealisations

14. Academe: A very short introductionDominance of sciences in the 20th century • scientific progress • physics: atom, universe; nuclear weapons (Einstein) • biology: evolutionary thinking (Darwin) • explosion of technologies • positive impact on everyday life • exacerbation of international conflict

15. (Music) psychology becomes a science Fechner, 1801-1887 Helmholtz, 1821-1894 Wundt, 1832-1920 Why? • Introspective psychology is subjective in all three ways • research object = researcher • no distance between researcher and object • diverse findings and theories • Empirical methods are possible e.g. psychophysics

16. (Music) history remains in humanities Why? • History is less subjective than introspective psychology • research object not necessarily the researcher • more distance between researcher and object • tolerable diversity of findings and theories • Empirical methods are impossible • composers and listeners mostly unavailable • performance traditions lost or uncertain

17. German historical musicology and international music psychology todayA strained relationship Two sources of long-term resentment: • English, the international academic language • German, the Other language • Sciences, the main form of scholarship • Humanities: the Other scholarship

18. Academe in the 21st centuryRevival of the humanities? Culture • human identity • interculturality • means to prevent intercultural conflict? Technology • quality of life • in industrialised countries • self-destruction of humanity • exhaustion of resources • climate change • nuclear war

19. The return of the humanities • create new institutions • Islamic studies • intercultural studies • improve finances • research (positions and support) • professorships • improve quality control • peer review • teaching evaluation • reward interdisciplinarity • especially with sciences (natural, social, formal)

20. Categorization of disciplinesSome problems • Psychology as science • power: obsession with methods and statistics • content: neglect of cultural, historical, political and even social (!) contexts and implications • quality: obsession with peer review and English • Musicology as humanities • power: domination by qualified/eminent researchers • content: neglect of research methods, which determine content/validity of findings in any discipline • quality: rejection of peer-review and English

21. Categorization of disciplines • good for administrators  strengthens hierarchy faster decisions less conflict • bad for academic creativity  suppresses interdisciplinarity biased answers to central questions myopic academic culture Interdisciplinarity must be directly promoted!

22. Abstracts at ICMPC10Sapporo, Japan, 2008 Subjective classification based on main content of abstract Other = methods, pedagogy, software development, analysis…

23. International music psychologyToo much data-oriented empiricism! We need a better balance of: • empirical and theoretical papers • pure and applied research

24. German music psychologyNo problem  • institutionalisation of music psychology • Germany: mp is a musicological Other (“systematic”) • USA: mp is officially external to “musicology” • recent German texts on music psychology • Oerter & Stoffer • de la Motte & Rötter • Bruhn, Kopiez & Lehmann Needed: English translation of the best chapters

25. Expansion and specialisation • typical duration of study and doctorate • 10 years or 10 000 hours (Ericsson) • expansion of research literature • specialisation, subdisciplines, sub-subdisciplines • experts no longer know their own discipline! Plausible expertise in both humanities and sciences is no longer possible! Collaboration is inevitable!

26. Collaboration humanitiessciencesWhy is it so difficult? • very different concepts of “truth” • nature • acquisition • application • political dominance of sciences • sciences: deep-seated arrogance • humanities: deep-seated resentment

27. Discrimination in psychology, musicology • increasing power of dominant subdisciplines democratic professorial selection procedures tend to • squeeze out disciplinary minorities • sharpen disciplinary categorizations • reduce interdisciplinary collaboration • increase dependency of “truth” on power (Foucault) • solution: complex, sensitive democracy not only one person, one vote but also explicit promotion of minorities & interdisciplinarity (“explicit” = financial!)

28. Collegiality & academic productivity20th-century contexts If interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary, collegiality is also necessary! But we cannot take it for granted: • social and historical context • schools: decline of religion and moral education • undergraduate study: no training in academic collegiality • research, teaching: collegiality within, not between disciplines • politics and economics: neo-liberalism, Geiz ist geil • academic context • cold war between humanities and sciences • multiple distinctions between Real and Other disciplines • evolutionary psychology: harassment is “natural”

29. Achieving academic collegialitySome general strategies • clarity • non-overlapping job descriptions • mission statements, transparency • supportive atmosphere • recognition of achievement • mutual constructive criticism • solidarity • objective quality control • teaching: student and expert evaluation • research: peer review • fair competition • common goal: academic quality  mutual trust and respect

30. Achieving academic collegialitySome specific strategies • awareness raising, discussion • discrimination of Others (sexual, racial, academic) • definitions of collegiality • strategy development • guidelines to promote collegial culture • research • publication of objective performance indices • effect of diversity on creativity and productivity? • selection procedures • professors, administrators • statements on collegiality, affirmative action… • rewards for good practice • ceremonies, awards, financial incentives

31. History of collegiality Sharing of responsibility in • Roman republic • Catholic church Reformation universities (16th C.) trained humanism: • civilised behavior • social responsibility • promotion of culture Walter Rüegg (Ed., 1992). A history of the university in Europe, Vol. 1: Universities in the Middle Ages. Cambridge University Press.

32. Collegiality and the 19th-Century German university model • Humboldt’s educational ideal • combination of arts and specialised academic discipline • unity of research and teaching • academic freedom through independence from private sector • Teachers and learners are: • autonomous citizens of the world • concerned with global issues such as peace, justice, cultural exchange, natural environment • common goals and supportive atmosphere • collegiality

33. Antifascism in global scholarship Fascism (especially Nazism) is based on: • belief in the fundamental superiority of one’s own group …and involves: • institutionalised victim mentality, intolerance, envy, marginalisation • authoritarian rule, violence, instability, destruction Historical, sociological, evolutionary evidence: Fascism is latent in all cultural groups incl. countries & disciplines* Antifascism is necessary in all countries & disciplines Antifascism is based on: • fundamental respect for both Own and Other groups …and involves: • institutionalised empowerment, acceptance, collegiality, solidarity • democracy, peace, stability, abundance * cf. Kenneth Westhues: academic mobbing

34. Spinoffs of academic collegialityin conjunction with performance orientation • job satisfaction psychological identification with institution • conflict-free environment openness; diversity of opinions/approaches • intrinsic and extrinsic motivation willingness to perform and serve • risk taking and entrepreneural attitude  academic creativity!

35. Collegiality and performance orientationAspiral of positive reinforcement? improved research and teaching recognition of university and its members attractivity for external academics and students • good job applicants; good students • even better research and teaching • even more recognition • even better staff and students…

36. Tips for scientistsTake humanities seriously! • investigate, teach and report the historical, social and cultural background and implications of research • present sciences as dangerous, humanities as a solution • expose and reduce arrogance in (music) psychology: • more logic, speculation, reflection • cultural turn (Allesch)

37. Tips for humanities scholarsOpen up! • develop / publish methodologies for specific purposes • integrate scientific / computational methods • be more international (not necessarily in English) • create / support peer-review conferences and journals • collaborate!

38. Tips for both humanities and sciences • study, apply, develop qualitative methods • Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis • systematic exposure of researcher bias • explicity promote collegiality at all levels