Ideologies of artistic vocation – implicitly gendered cultural policies?

Abstract

This paper argues that notions of artistic vocation – the idea that artists receive a metaphysical calling to follow their path – can be understood as implicit cultural policies, among other functions deepening the connection between art and spirituality, as well as regulating gender access to creative production. The matter is addressed generally and with reference to two specific case-studies: the musical era of German Romanticism and contemporary Mexican indigenous groups of the Huasteca, both of which display reliance on narratives of vocation. Also, both cases – one historically remote, and the other removed from Western main-stream musical practices – are to act as mirrors to invite future discussions concerning the continuing cultural currency of ideas of vocation and their complex and subtle complicity in the perpetuation of arguably desirable (such as the promotion of creativity) and oppressive practices within the art world.

Keywords:

• implicit cultural policy
• artistic vocation
• music
• German musical Romanticism
• Huasteca
• gender

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. As to the former, Paul elaborates on the concept in the New Testament, outlining that ‘The spiritual gifts we have differ, according to the special grace which has been assigned to each. If a man is a prophet, let him prophesy […]. The administrator must be content with administration, the teacher with his work as teaching’ (The Holy Bible 1959, Romans 12:6-7).

2. This may be deducted from some of Old Testament’s description of vocation such as that of Isaiah and Jeremiah (The Holy Bible 1959, Isaiah 6:1-8, Jeremiah 1:4-10. See also Placher 2005, pp. 274–290).

3. My translation – as with all other sources originally written in Spanish or German.

4. Some scholars have argued that Fanny Mendelssohn’s restricted access to the public musical sphere was enforced by gender as well as social class (e.g. Malin, 2010, p. 70).

5. Of course, as is by now a known fact and well-documented in works such as McVicker’s Women Composers of Classical Music, women composers are by no means a ‘new’ phenomenon (2010).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Programme UNAM-DGAPA-PAPIIT [grant number IA400614].