"I love that they exist, even if imperfectly:" Disability, Music Archives, Descriptive Language, and Symbolic Annihilation

Abstract

Drawing on scholarship that addresses symbolic annihilation, this thesis brings together three related studies to argue that music archivists need to address the symbolic annihilation of Disabled individuals within their materials. It offers an assessment of the current state of representation of Disabled individuals in music and non-music archives (chapter 2) and in Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) (chapter 3). From there, it explores the ways in which music and non-music archives are perceived by Disabled individuals with ties to music (chapter 4). Following the presentation of these three studies, the thesis relates combined implications, considerations for further research, and suggestions for methods archivists might use to combat symbolic annihilation and its underlying causes. The author provides practical steps for combatting symbolic annihilation of Disabled individuals throughout, but the final chapter (chapter 5) focuses exclusively on this topic.