"Metal matters - Heavy Metal als Kultur und Welt"

Die interdisziplinäre Tagung am 3. bis 5. Juni 2010 an der HBK Braunschweig, organisiert von Rolf F. Nohr und Herbert Schwaab

Anfang Juni 2010 hat die Tagung "Metal matters - Heavy Metal als Kultur und Welt" in Braunschweig versucht, eine Leerstelle der Kultur- und Medienwissenschaft mit auszufüllen und die Komplexität des Phänomens Metal herauszustellen. Dieser Blog bündelt die Perspektiven der Konferenz und versucht den dort interdisziplinär zusammengeführten Strom aus Ideen, Projekten und Perspektiven vorläufig fortzuführen.

Dienstag, 30. September 2014

CfP Hard Wired. Arbeitsgespräche zur Heavy Metal-Forschung V

LärmLern-ort Moshpit. Heavy Metal und Bildung

Zentrum für Religion, Wirtschaft und Politik
Universität Zürich, Schweiz
Fr. 8.– Sa. 9. Mai 2015
Organisation: Florian Heesch, Universität Siegen
Anna-Katharina Höpflinger, Zentrum für Religion, Wirtschaft und Politik

Einsendeschluss: 31. Dezember 2014

Musik gilt als bedeutendes Bildungsgut. Sie wird in allen allgemeinbildenden Schulen und an Musikschulen unterrichtet; oft wird musikalische Bildung staatlich gefördert. Doch welche Rolle spielt Heavy Metal in einem Bildungskontext?
Im Zug einer Erweiterung schulischer und akademischer Lehr- und Lerninhalte steht Heavy Metal als musikalischer bzw. kultureller Bildungsgegenstand zur Verfügung. Kulturelle Bildung umfasst in einem weiten Sinn aber auch informelle Bildungsprozesse, die innerhalb von diversen Kulturformen stattfinden.
Heavy Metal als Teil von Kultur impliziert deshalb immer schon Bildung, und zwar auf
unterschiedlichen Ebenen: Zunächst gehört Wissen über die spezifische Kultur zur Fanidentität; wer eine solche erwerben und Teil der Fangemeinschaft werden möchten, muss entsprechendes Wissen erwerben. Die Frage stellt sich, wie solche Aneignungsprozesse allgemein und in verschiedenen Subgenres des Heavy Metal funktionieren? Wie lernen Fans die Konventionen der Heavy Metal-Subgenres? Was erlernen sie wodurch? Welche Wissensinhalte werden in welchen Subgenres besonders betont? Welche werden marginalisiert?
Zweitens verfügen MusikerInnen häufig über virtuose musikalische Fertigkeiten, aber auch über ein umfassendes kulturelles Wissen. Dies spiegelt sich z.B. in Expertenfragen in Magazinen (Hörtests etc.). Außerdem stellen sich Fragen nach einer Professionalisierung innerhalb des Heavy Metal. Seit Kurzem lässt sich eine Tendenz zur Institutionalisierung von Heavy Metal-Bildung in speziellen Studiengängen (Niederlande, England) sowie zur gezielten Förderung von Nachwuchsbands (z.B. durch die Wacken Foundation) beobachten. Doch wie ist diese Entwicklung zu deuten? Eignet sich der „rebellische“ Heavy Metal überhaupt als anerkanntes Bildungsgut oder steht er in Gefahr, durch Institutionalisierung und Professionalisierung zu konventionalisieren und zu verbürgerlichen?
Drittens stellt sich die Frage nach der Rolle von Heavy Metal in der Musikbildung der staatlichen Schulen. Welche musikpolitischen Vorstellungen sind mit Heavy Metal verbunden? Welche Arten der Integration dieses, bzw. Abgrenzungen gegen dieses Musikgenre sind zu beobachten? Ist Heavy Metal in staatlichen Schulen als Bildungsgegenstand anerkannt oder wird er marginalisiert?
Viertens wird auch die Universität als Bildungsinstitution sowie die Wissenschaft als Bildungsprogramm im Zentrum stehen. Hier stellen sich selbstreflexive Fragen nach den Auswirkungen der Erforschung von Heavy Metal. Was bedeutet es, wenn Heavy Metal an Universitäten und Hochschulen studiert wird? Wie prägen Forschungen über Heavy Metal die Musik und die Szene?
Neben der Darlegung von Bildungsprozessen rund um Heavy Metal soll in der Tagung auch explizit das (selbst)reflexive Nachdenken über Chancen und Herausforderungen spezifischer Blickwinkel gefördert werden.

Wir freuen uns auf Einsendung von Abstracts zu diesem Themenbereich mit max. 500
Worten Länge bis Ende Dezember 2014, inkl. Kurzbiographie des/der Vortragenden an
Florian Heesch und Anna-Katharina Höpflinger:
florian.heesch@musik.uni-siegen.de
a.hoepflinger@access.uzh.ch

Mittwoch, 24. September 2014

Hessian Studies


"If you like the music, you’re a metalhead. You like to buy certain things and listen to them.
If you like the ideas behind the music — the lifestyle, the worldview, the imagery and most importantly, the spirit — you need to use a word that means you are more than a consumer of metal music. You’re a Hessian. Derived from California slang from the time when Slayer were starting out, this term refers to the mercenaries who fought for both sides during the Revolutionary War — from Hesse, in Germany, they had long hair and fought like demons."

Damit wäre also eine neue definitorische Volte in den metal studies geschlagen. Das Programm der zu obigem Prolegomena gehörigen Hessian Studies ist schon lange online - genau genommen seit 1994!  Zeit also in einem historiographischen turn dieses Manifest noch einmal genau druchzusehen und der aktuellen Institutionalisierung der metal studies kritisch gegenüber zu stellen...

Auszug:

"What is Hessian Studies?
Hessian Studies is the academic study of Hessians, Bangers, Metallians, Metalheads, death rockers, and other adherents to the genres of metal and grindcore. The Hessian Studies Department believes that any truly diverse multicultural population will contain representatives of this world-wide underground culture, with its rich and spanning historical and social contributions.
What are the aims of the Hessian Studies Department?
The Hessian Studies Department seeks to establish a presence of Hessians on campus and in campus events, as well as to create a comfortable environment at The College that suits the specific needs of Hessians at a small liberal-arts college. To this end, we have presented a List of Demands to the Administration:
  1. That there be Hessians hired to faculty and staff positions, and that all hair length rules and any form of drug policy regarding Hessians hired be abrogated, as Hessians have a religious need for some currently-regulated substances.
  2. That there be a Hessian Studies Center, complete with both audio and textual libraries and lounge area, for the study and advancement of Hessians.
  3. That the community radio station play more music favorable to the tastes of Hessians during prime-time shows.
  4. That the inscription at the gate of the college be changed to either “Fuckin’ Groovin'” or “You Suffer (But Why?)”.
  5. That discrimination against Hessians as a group of drug-addicted, drunken, long-haired incompetent losers destined for parole at best be eradicated from campus literature and mindset.
  6. That there be Hessian cultural events on campus, including concerts by noted Hessian bands and festivals related to various organic products enjoyed by Hessians.
  7. That the Hessian Studies Center be funded to provide late-night pizza and beer snack breaks.
  8. That Hessians be given equal time to speak at multicultural events, and the right to develop their own curriculum of Hessian Studies Courses."

CfP: Tribe & Rite: A Heavy Metal Student Conference

Heavy Metal UVic presents “Tribe & Rite: A Heavy Metal Student Conference,” to be held at the University of Victoria on November 8th to 9th. Metal culture celebrates the wild, the grotesque, and the forbidden, and it is our hope that this conference will allow for such celebration to take place – with a little bit of headbanging to match! Join us at the University of Victoria for a weekend of engaging ideas and crushing heavy metal!

The South of Heaven Symposium was a fantastic gathering of metal fans and scholars. It’s living proof that metal music has become one of the richest sources of pop culture debate and discussion in recent years. It was a pleasure to be a part of the event \m/” – Sam Dunn

Possible Topics:
The makings and markers of a metalhead | Metal as genre, subculture, counterculture, or tribe | Rites and rituals of regional/historical metal movements | The transformation of metal by academia and vice versa | Generational differences in metal | The influence of metal on other cultural movements (e.g. punk, hippy), and vice versa | Comparison of metal with other cultural movements | Comparison of subcultures within metal (e.g. the radical politics of crust, the Satanism, neo-paganism, and occultism of black metal) | The future and fate of metal | Inclusive and exclusive behavior among metalheads| The relationship between metal music and memorabilia

Metal culture celebrates the wild, the grotesque, and the forbidden. We invite papers on these themes from across the humanities, social sciences, fine arts, and related disciplines. Papers can draw on lyrics, musical technique, aesthetics (music, fashion, album art), innovations in metal, regional and historical metal movements, and more.

Please send proposals to: metalcon@uvic.ca in Word format by 10/3/14

Include author name(s), department and institution, email address, title of presentation, and an abstract of 50-100 words.

Freitag, 19. September 2014

The pleasures and politics of heavy metal cooking

..ist ein Thema, dem die aktuelle Ausgabe des International Journal of Community Music einen Artikel widmet. Der Rest ist aber nicht minder brisant und cutting edge...

Mittwoch, 17. September 2014

CfP Heavy Metal at the Movies

Seminar Proposal for Popular Culture Association annual meeting, 1-4 April 2015, New Orleans

Heavy Metal studies has seen a surge over the past years and is increasingly branching out into various interdisciplinary sub-fields. So far, little research has been done on how heavy metal culture relates to cinema. For this seminar at PCA, papers are sought that address, amongst others, the following issues:
* how heavy metal is (ab)used in feature films
* how documentary films create, expand, and discuss a sense of group identity
* how cinematic traditions are used in heavy metal culture.
Papers on individual films, metal (sub)genres or individual bands are all welcome, as are more theoretical musings on the interrelationship between cinema and metal.

Please send 300-word abstracts by 15 October 2014 to Gerd.Bayer@fau.de

Gründungstreffen der European Education Alliance for Music and Sound in Media (EEAMS)

Ein Gründungstreffen der European Education Alliance for Music and Sound in Media (EEAMS) bei der SoundTrack_Cologne ist von Yati Durant (University of Edinburgh) und Vasco Hexel (Royal College of Music, London) avisiert worden.
Ich zitiere:

"Yati Durant and I are pleased to have the opportunity to expand this new-formulation of the previous 'University Meeting Group' at SoundTrack_Cologne into a broad new initiative with enormous potential. The European Education Alliance for Music and Sound in Media (EEAMS) aims to grow a broad international network of higher education institutions that train students in the areas of filmmaking, sound design and media music composition. The Alliance welcomes educators, students and industry professionals of related areas and seeks to forge an inclusive framework to support collaborative links and to bridge inter-disciplinary boundaries. The first of recurring bi-annual meetings, chaired by Yati and me, will take place during Soundtrack_Cologne 11, on Thursday 20 November 2014 from 12 noon at the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung Köln. More details to follow.
By this email, we reach out to you, current and prospective members, to gather information and suggestions for the launch meeting. Please take a moment to consider the attached document, which sets out indicative aims, objectives and deliverables of EEAMS. These are not set in stone: We welcome your thoughts and comments on the usefulness of the ideas set out therein. We also welcome additional thoughts and suggestions for an inaugural meeting agenda. This email is being sent to 150+ recipients, but please forward this message to colleagues in your institution, to students and industry professionals in your local network. We look forward to meeting colleagues at the launch meeting in November but expressly hope you can also bring along student representatives of your respective programme.
Although EEAMS is initially focussing on Europe, we also reach out to our colleagues in the United States (NYU, USC and others). We welcome your input and value your feedback.
Please write to us at hexel@soundtrackcologne.de and/or durant@soundtrackcologne.de – we will keep you posted about comments and suggests received.
Please also consider joining our Facebook Group, which will provide an active forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/224397084437088/266635883546541/?notif_t=like
We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully see you in November!
Best wishes
Dr Vasco Hexel, Masters Programme in Composition for Screen, Royal College of Music, London
Yati Durant Lecturer of Music, Sound and Moving Image at the Reid School of Music, University of Edinburgh

CfP: Folk-Metal - Critical Essays on Identity, Myth and Culture

Essays are invited for a forthcoming edited collection, Folk-Metal: Critical Essays on Identity, Myth and Culture. Folk-metal and its sub-genres and related categories such as “Pagan-metal”, “Viking-metal”, “Celtic-metal” and “Medieval-metal”, is a style of music that developed in Europe during the 1990s, fusing traditional or folk music with heavy metal music forms. In this musical style, traditional musical instruments are employed as well as lyrical references to folklore, mythology and traditional culture. Material allusions to these themes are also made in album artwork and performers’ dress styles. This genre has a particular aesthetic and rootedness in the cultures of Europe and is intertwined with these cultures in regard to symbols, religion, history, heritage, ethnicity and cultural traditions.
Bands categorised as folk-metal include: Skyclad (England), Cruachan (Ireland), Finntroll (Finland), Skyforger (Latvia), Amon Amarth (Sweden), Amorphis (Finland), Falkenbach (Germany), Waylander (Ireland), Svartsot (Denmark), Metsatöll (Estonia), Empyrium (Germany), Mägo de Oz (Spain), Silent Stream of Godless Elegy (Czech Republic), Korpiklaani (Finland), Mael Mórdha (Ireland), Alkonost (Russia), Balkandji (Bulgaria), Dalriada (Hungary), Lumsk (Norway), Týr (Faroe Islands), Ensiferum (Finland), Celtachor (Ireland), Eluveitie (Switzerland), Elvenking (Italy), Primordial (Ireland).
This interdisciplinary anthology proposes to explore the folk-metal genre as a cultural form in itself, by examining the relationship between the music, national identity and cultural traditions. Contributions are invited from scholars in the disciplines of folkloristics, ethnomusicology, music, cultural studies and related fields.
Suggested themes:
    Folklore, song lyrics, and cultural identity
    Neo-pagan worldview of the bands
    History of the genre, participants and events
    Indigenous religion and mythology
    Political and/or nationalistic agendas
    The concept of homeland
    The representation of deities and mythological beings in songs
    Heroic elements
    Fantasy literature
    Nature, landscape and sacred sites
The above-listed themes are intended to be indicative rather than limiting. The analysis can focus on one or more bands and/or one or more country or region.
Essays must be written in English and be between 4,000-7,000 words. Authors are requested to send a 300-word abstract of their proposed essay, along with a short biography (50-100 words) to the editor, Dr Jenny Butler at j.butler@ucc.ie and cc. to butler.Jennifer@gmail.com by November 10, 2014. The deadline for final essays accepted for inclusion is June 1, 2015.

Bibliografie zu Metal Studies

Eine ausführliche BIbliografie (zusammengestellt von Keith Kahn-Harris und Fabien Hein) ist in der Volume! erschienen. Ist zwar schon eine Weile her, dafür jetzt aber online - partiell zur Erstrecherche brauchbar.