Faculty of Arts, Media and Technology

One of the precursors to this PhD project was an awareness that a great deal of writing about music aesthetics, the practice of making music and the nature of listening to music, is often either knowingly or unknowingly grounded in a set of philosophical debates that predate (sometimes quite considerably) the music that is being written about. As such, there is a sense in which critical perspectives on improvised music practice, if they are to be relevant, need to take into account more recent developments in philosophical and theoretical thought, and one of the objectives of this study is to meet that challenge by mapping of some of the key aspects of twentieth and twenty-first century thought that have their roots in what could be described as ‘philosophies of immanence’ onto various aspects of improvisation. From the outset, this project is written from a maker’s perspective, and takes the form of a piece of extended research that takes as its starting point the idea that musical...

Old age is in western cultures under current neoliberal ideology increasingly linked to notions of decline, frailty and dependence as it is often equated with being unproductive and a burden to society. This case study is grounded in the belief that to change socio-cultural patterns one must first understand them. Consequently, this article aims to analyse the socio-cultural (re)production of narratives of ageing in general and of narratives of male ageing in particular – a topic often neglected in academic debates of ageing. Mass media today hold an enormous influence on the development and maintenance of socio-cultural standards. As such, their products need to be taken seriously even if their content might seem superficial and frivolous. A critical analysis of commercially highly successful Hollywood action films The Expendables and The Expendables 2 will shed light on the cultural narratives of male ageing revealed in the two films and subsequently support a better understanding of the strategies used to transform narratives of decline commonly linked to ageing into stories of success and progress.

The world's population is growing considerably older and will continue doing so. Despite this demographic trend, in neo-liberal western cultures old age is often linked to notions of dependency, frailty and decline. This view does not surprise in societies in which the individuals' value is predominantly determined by ones' productivity and consumption power. However, understanding older age as something negative generates, regardless of age, fear of the physical and mental changes related to ageing. Consequently, latest from middle age much energy is spent on staying young and fit as long as possible. To match the standards of successful ageing albeit looking and acting youthfully, requires much of the individual and leads to the marginalisation of anyone who cannot or does not want to satisfy these standards. My analysis of the action film trilogy The Expendables is aimed at exploring the cultural narratives revealed in the portrayals of older male characters in these films. Subsequently film scenes significant for the cultural narratives of ageing and masculinity identified will be used to facilitate semi-structured interviews with six retired German men who, when in employment, met the current hegemonic masculinity ideal of being white, affluent, middle-and upper-class managers. This will allow insights into the experience of specific retired German men with the cultural narratives of male ageing within a German cultural setting and answer the question if the masculinity scripts presented in The Expendables trilogy aid these men in construing acceptable identities for themselves. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the way older men are portrayed in Hollywood action films and of how older men see themselves – topics unrepresented in the academic discussion of ageing-is hoped to contribute to changes in the fear-laden view of ageing. This could facilitate the construction of meaningful, positive and progressive life-course narratives across the entire lifespan and lead to a more equal and fruitful participation of seniors in society.

This paper explores the different stages that have led to the current stage of my PhD. and offers a presentation of the first results of my research. Overall, this paper is intended to illustrate how closely understanding one's own ontological and epistemological position is tied to the research one does and how much it affects the aims one intends to reach. This is hoped to support and encourage early researchers when they are faced with similar problems. Reflecting on my socio-cultural embeddedness was a crucial prerequisite for transcending what is considered to be the truth in my socio-cultural setting. This paper argues that this reflection enabled me to move from a post-positivistic research position to a constructionist research philosophy informed by feminism. As this paper will demonstrate, adapting my research position was essential in identifying a feasible research aim which I believe to be of scientific and social value. This paper offers an overview of my early exploration of the interface between the cultural narratives of ageing males conveyed in U.S. action films, the experience of older German men and the socio-cultural context they operate in. This paper, as with the larger PhD project, looks to create an awareness of the powerful influence cultural narratives have on our self-perception regardless of gender and particularly in older age.