Lisa Gaupp
Biography
Lisa Gaupp is professor of Cultural Institutions Studies at the Department of Cultural Management and Gender Studies (IKM).
She researches and teaches on topics including cultural institutions/norms, musical practices, performing arts, arts organizations, migration, inequalities, global interrelationships, urban spaces, politics and policy, diversity, and decolonisation. She majored in applied cultural studies (Kulturwissenschaften) as well as intercultural and international studies at the universities in Lüneburg and Barcelona before earning her doctorate in musicology / ethnomusicology at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (from which she graduated summa cum laude). She held an interim professorship in cultural sociology at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which was also where she habilitated with a theses entitled Kulturelle Diversität in der kuratorischen Praxis: Politik(en) globaler Künste [Politics of Diversity in the Performing Arts: Curatorial Practices of the “Global”] (venia legendi: sociology in part. sociology of culture and the arts).
Gaupp’s research has been funded by numerous bodies including the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the Lower Saxon Ministry of Science and Culture. Her publications have won several awards, including the Best Research Article Award 2020 (Journal of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy) for “Curatorial Practices of the ‘Global’: Toward a Decolonial Turn in the Museum in Berlin and Hamburg?”, the Best Early Career Research Paper Award in Sociology of Culture (European Sociological Association) for “Festival Curators as Gatekeepers for Sociocultural Diversity”, and the SOPHIA Prize for University Graduates (Soroptimist International) for her dissertation Die exotisierte Stadt – Kulturpolitik und Musikvermittlung im postmigrantischen Prozess [The Exoticized City – Cultural Policies and Music Mediation in a Post-Migrant Process].
She is co-editor of Diversity and Otherness. Transcultural Insights into Norms, Practices, Negotiations, of Arts and Power. Policies in and by the Arts, and of a book series entitled Urban Music Studies (Intellect). She is a member of the European Sociological Association research network Sociology of Culture, a founding member of the international research network Brokering Intercultural Exchange, and a founding member of the cultural studies organisation Kulturwissenschaftliche Gesellschaft, where she serves as co-speaker of the section “Transkulturelle Lebenswelten” (Transcultural Life-Worlds).
Lisa Gaupp has lived in the USA, Guatemala, Haiti, and Spain, has served as organisational head of the 2009 edition of the International Joseph Joachim Violin Competition presented by the Hannover-based foundation Stiftung Niedersachsen, and has three children.
Research Focus
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Cultural norms/institutions
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Diversity, Otherness & global entanglements
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Decolonisation & Postcolonial Theory
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Transculturality
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Performing Arts Festivals & Curatorial Practices
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Power, Policies & Politics
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Social Inequalities
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Urban Music Studies
Publications (selected)
Gaupp, L. (2025), 'Social Studies', in J. Nesselhauf & F. Weber (Ed.), Handbuch Kulturwissenschaftliche „Studies“ (pp. 531-554). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110712919-030
Gaupp, L. (2024), 'Der „Westen“ gegen „den Rest“? Festivalkurator:innen als Gatekeeper für soziokulturelle Diversität', in U. Karstein (Ed.), Kunstsoziologie (pp. 157-172). Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110716863-013
Dollereder L. & Gaupp L. (2024): 'Ein Haus für Neue Musik? Gedanken zum Kuratieren für morgen am Beispiel von Neuer Musik', in Musikmagazin mica – music austria, https://www.musicaustria.at/gedanken-zum-kuratieren-fuer-morgen-am-beispiel-von-neuer-musik/
Gaupp, L. (2023), 'The Politics of Diversity – an Ethnography of Popular World Music Practices in Germany', pp. 151-163, in M. Fuchs & J. Müske (eds.), '‘World Music’ through a Postcolonial Lens - Current Debates in Theory and Practice', Lied und populäre Kultur / Song and Popular Culture. 68. Jahrbuch des Zentrums für Populäre Kultur und Musik Freiburg, Waxmann Münster.
Gaupp, L. (2023), 'Macht oder Ermächtigung? Kulturpublikum zwischen Inklusion und Exklusion', pp. 23-29, in Bundesministerium für Kunst, Kultur, öffentlicher Dienst und Sport (BMKÖS) (ed), 'Fokus Publikum', Vienna. Open Access: https://www.bmkoes.gv.at/kunst-und-kultur/service-kunst-und-kultur/publikationen/berichte-studien-kultur.html
Gaupp, L. (2023), 'Othering versus Handlungsmacht?', pp. 183-187, in A. Petri-Preis & J. Voit (eds.), 'Handbuch Musikvermittlung – Studium, Lehre, Berufspraxis'. Transcript Bielefeld. Open Access: https://www.transcript-verlag.de/media/pdf/56/28/94/oa9783839462614.pdf
Gaupp, L. (2023), 'Kulturelle Diversität in der kuratorischen Praxis: Politik(en) globaler Künste', Habilitationsschriften, Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Open Access: https://pub-data.leuphana.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1298
Gaupp, L. & Barber-Kersovan, A. & Kirchberg, V. (eds.) (2022), 'Arts and Power – Policies in and by the Arts'. Kunst und Gesellschaft, VS-Verlag/Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden, https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-37429-7
Gaupp, L. (2021), 'Epistemologies of Diversity and Otherness‘, pp. 13-61, in L. Gaupp & G. Pelillo-Hestermeyer (eds.), Diversity and Otherness. Transcultural Insights into Norms, Practices, Negotiations. DeGruyter Open Berlin & Boston & Peking. Open Access: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9788366675308/html?lang=en
Gaupp, L. (2021), 'How to Curate Diversity and Otherness in Global Performance Art‘, pp. 289-320, in L. Gaupp & G. Pelillo-Hestermeyer (eds.), Diversity and Otherness. Transcultural Insights into Norms, Practices, Negotiations. DeGruyter Open Berlin & Boston & Peking. Open Access: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9788366675308/html?lang=en
Gaupp, L. (2021), 'Decolonizing Otherness through a Transcultural Lens: Conclusion‘, pp. 336-355, in L. Gaupp & G. Pelillo-Hestermeyer (eds.), Diversity and Otherness. Transcultural Insights into Norms, Practices, Negotiations. DeGruyter Open Berlin & Boston & Peking. Open Access: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9788366675308/html?lang=en
Gaupp, L. (2021), 'Wie man Vielfalt und Andersartigkeit in der globalen Performancekunst kuratiert (Essay mit einem Interview mit Claude Jansen)', ITI Journal No. 1. Open Access: https://www.iti-germany.de/journal/wie-man-vielfalt-und-andersartigkeit-in-der-globalen-performancekunst-kuratiert
Gaupp, L. (2021), 'Transcultural Music Studies', pp. 178-198, in M. Fuhrmann, K. Klenke, J. Mendívil (eds.), Diggin' Up Music: Musikethnologie als Baustelle. Universitätsverlag/Olms, Hildesheim. Open Access: https://hildok.bsz-bw.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1180
Gaupp, L. & Abramjan, A. & Akinay, F. M. & Hilgert, K. & Mulder, A. C. & Schmidt, R. & Schnitzler, V. & Thurich, O. & Tiemon, L. & Wurl, S. & Zimmermann, M. (2020), 'Curatorial Practices of the ‘Global’: Toward a Decolonial Turn in Museums in Berlin and Hamburg?’, pp. 107-138. Vol. 2020/2, Journal of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy, ("Best Research Article“ Award 2020 of the Journal of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy), https://jcmcp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Gaupp-et-al._Curatorial-Practices-of-the-Global.pdf
Gaupp, L. (2020), '“The West“ vs. “The Rest“? Festival Curators as Gatekeepers for Sociocultural Diversity', pp. 127-153, in V. Durrer & R. Henze (eds.), Managing Culture: Exchange in a Global World. Palgrave MacMillan Hampshire, UK & New York, Sociology of the Arts. (Best Early Career Research Paper Award in Sociology of Culture of the European Sociological Association), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24646-4
Gaupp, L. & Bielefeldt, N. & Dill, J. & Giesel, R. & Göttsche, K. & Hasse, Z. & Laumayer, S. & Lenßen, L. & Mai, J. & Rüpcke, A. & Rummler, L. (2020), 'Listening to the Street – Urban Sounds in Hamburg-Altona between the „Right to the City“ and the „Creativity Dispositif“'. Vol. XI, No.3, AVANT: Trends in Interdisciplinary Studies, Special Issue: Listening to the Urbanocene. Open Access: http://avant.edu.pl/en/2020-03-35
Gaupp, L. (2019), 'Symbolische Räume kultureller Diversität: Verhandlungen, Grenzen und Überschreitungen in den performativen Künsten', Schriften zur Kultur- und Mediensemiotik Online, Vol. 2, No. 4. Open Access: http://www.kultursemiotik.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Raumsemiotik-Martin-Nies-Hg._SMKS-Online-No.4-2018-red.pdf
Gaupp, L. (2016), 'Die exotisierte Stadt: Kulturpolitik und Musikvermittlung im postmigrantischen Prozess'. Center for World Music – Studies in Music, Vol. 1, Universitätsverlag Hildesheim & Olms Verlag, Hildesheim. Open Access: https://hildok.bsz-bw.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/547
(4. SOPHIA-Soroptomist Hochschul-Absolventinnenpreis 2016; Sonderpreis der Stadt Hannover 2016; rezensiert in: Löding, O. 2017, Kulturpolitische Mitteilungen, II/2017, Heft 157, S. 95 und Larue, D. (2017), in K. Holsträter & M. Fischer (Hrsg.), Lied und populäre Kultur, Jahrbuch des Zentrums für populäre Kultur und Musik, Bd. 62, Musik und Professionalität, Waxmann, Münster & New York, S. 286-288)
Publications (forthcoming)
Gaupp, L. (2025), ' Wer hat und möchte Zugang zu Konkurrenz in den globalen PerformingArts?', in P. Buckermann & M. Richter, 'Konkurrenz in den Künsten. Vergleich und Bewertung', Bielefeld University Press/Transcript Bielefeld. forthcoming
Gaupp, L. (2025), 'Othering Institutions vs. Empowerment – Toward a Decolonial Agency in Music Mediation? ', in A. Petri-Preis & A. Ziegenmeyer (eds.), 'Turning Social. On the Social-Transformative Potential of Music Mediation', mdwPress Vienna. forthcoming
Gaupp, L. (2025), 'Postkoloniales Kuratieren', in A. Bosch, L. Hieber & C. Steuerwald (eds.), Handbuch Kunstsoziologie. Springer, Wiesbaden. forthcoming
Gaupp, L. & Kirchberg, V. (2025), 'Connecting Music Studies and Urban Studies – A General Plea for Urban Music Studies', in A. Barber-Kersovan, R. Kuchar & J. Reia (eds.), Urban Music Studies: Theories and Methods. Book series Urban Music Studies. Vol. 4. Intellect Bristol & Wilmington. forthcoming
Gaupp, L. (2024), 'Wie kann oder sollte Vielfalt und Andersartigkeit in der globalen Performancekunst kuratiert werden?', in U. Mayer (ed.), 'Ver_Üben', transcript Bielefeld. forthcoming
Courses
© Stephan Polzer