Belonging and detachment: musical experience and the limits of identity

In this essay, we offer a critique of a trajectory of thinking about the relationship between music and identity and argue for the adoption of approaches that are able to embrace more nuanced and less reductionist notions of how music may connect with, become part of, or be totally irrelevant to our sense of self and collectivity. We initially focus on enduring tension between so-called reflection and construction theories of identity and suggest that the “mutual constitution” of musical and social self might allow for retention of insights from both perspectives. In the second part, we argue for a move outwards from a focus on the vocabulary of identity. In doing this, we highlight some of the problems of thinking about musical practices via notions of community and solidarity and suggest that equal attention should be paid to instances when music is associated with ambivalence and detachment rather than belonging.