Surviving the Everyday : Gendered Violence, Patriarchal Power Structures, and Strategies of Resistance in Late Nineteenth-Century Ladies’ Orchestras

Abstract

In this chapter, I analyse the forms of gender-based violence experienced by the members of the Maiglöckchen orchestra. How and why did abuse become a part of their everyday lives? Were there similar features in other late nineteenth-century ladies’ orchestras; and if so, what does it tell us about the gendered power hierarchies of the belle époque entertainment industry? Special attention is paid to the musicians’ strategies of resistance.