Critical analysis of music science

An important part of any research is critical reflection. We all live in a complex world with interconnecting systems of power; our work exists within these systems, and we cannot escape them. So, how are these systems influencing our research? What ideologies do we operate in? What assumptions are we making? The FeMS lab operates under the ideology that all knowledge comes from somewhere and must be situated in order to best understand its application(s), and its limits. By revealing ideologies and assumptions, critical theory tools can help us see unintended consequences and in turn mitigate any harm potentially caused by the ideologies we hold and assumptions we make.

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This is an ongoing project adaptable to any level of interest related to critical theory. FeMS work in this area so far has been writing-based rather than experiment-based. One paper on anti-colonial cross-cultural music science is currently in press and a paper structured as a conversation between a positivist and a critical theorist is being written. However, there is potential for experiment-based work, for example, comparing judgments of research paper quality while manipulating reflexivity and contextualization; collecting ratings of the validity and/or relevance of assumptions; surveying researcher's opinions and feelings about making explicit the politic(s) of research.

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There is currently discussion around adapting the paper structured as a conversation between a positivist and a critical theorist to theatre in collaboration with colleagues in the Lincoln School of Creative Arts at the University of Lincoln. This collaborative project could be suitable for an MSc student as part of a larger critical project. Reach out to Dr. Sauve if this is something that interests you!