Musgrave, G. and Gross, S. 2026. Psychic Disjunctures in Denmark: Danish Female Musicians’ Anxieties as a Labour of Believability. European Journal of Cultural Studies. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494261429088
| Title | Psychic Disjunctures in Denmark: Danish Female Musicians’ Anxieties as a Labour of Believability |
|---|---|
| Type | Journal article |
| Authors | Musgrave, G. and Gross, S. |
| Abstract | A recent survey by this research team (n=986) found that female, career-oriented musicians in Denmark were an at-risk group for clinically significant anxiety. This paper draws on semi-structured interviews with eight female respondents to this survey to explore potential psychosocial causes. We undertake thematic analysis within a theoretical architecture of ‘believability’, and in doing so acknowledge the need to believe something which, in the economy of believability, may appear unbelievable: high rates of anxiety among female musicians in a country famed for high levels of subjective wellbeing and apparent gender equality. As a possible explanation, we highlight psychic disjunctures experienced by interviewees; disjunctures between an imaginary of Denmark rooted in egalitarian social democracy committed publicly to principles of innovation, gender equality, and social cohesion, contrasted with the anxious lived experience of the women we spoke to (which they wanted others to believe) being one of musical conservativism, restrictive cultural norms, and loneliness. This paper contributes towards sociologically-oriented and theoretically-underpinned literature into musicians’ mental health, global scholarship on the occupational psychosocial lives of female musicians, and cultural, political, and anthropological work on Danish society. |
| Keywords | gender, music, wellbeing, mental health, Scandinavia, anxiety |
| Journal | European Journal of Cultural Studies |
| ISSN | 1367-5494 |
| 1460-3551 | |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications |
| Publisher's version | License CC BY-NC 4.0 File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494261429088 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published online | 25 Mar 2026 |