Music can be a powerful medium for
social change when artists use their
songs to promote peace. But, this
study shows that women anti-war
celebrities are limited in their ability
to affect social change by dominant
gendered discourses connected to
country music in the United States.
The anti-war statements by men in
the genre do not suffer the same
kind of backlash women receive.
This difference is examined using
comparative discourse analysis for
the Dixie Chicks, an all-female
band, and Willie Nelson, a male
singer-songwriter. This comparison
demonstrates how the statements
of country music artists who
protest war are received differently
based on their gender, and reveals
how country music reflects public
discourse and reinforces limited
ideas of peace through promoting
traditional views of gender.