Description: Working from and with countries spanning Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations, the contributors of this collection reflect on the social roles of metal music and stress how it faces oppressive experiences and aims to build a better world.
Brief description: Susana González-Martínez is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Cultures, University of Helsinki, Finland, where she investigates the interrelation between women's spirituality and creativity. She holds an International PhD in Arts and Education from the University of Granada, Complutense University of Madrid, University of Barcelona, and University of Girona. In addition to various academic qualifications, Dr. González-Martínez is a graduate in Social Work and holds a Master's degree in Aesthetic Research and Education in Arts, Music, and Design, as well as a second Master's in Feminist, Gender, and Citizenship Studies. She serves as the President of the Metal Music Studies Spain Association, as well as associate editor of the Metal Music Studies Journal. She is the host of the VII International Society for Metal Music Studies Biennial Research Conference and has organized four editions of the Rock & Metal Encounter Conference, among other cultural events. She has led the community-based research project Breakthrough Ritual on gender barriers in the international metal music scene and has published several articles and international book chapters. Her primary research lines focus on sociology, pedagogy, and feminist/gender studies applied to popular music, the arts, and cultural studies, with particular emphasis on analyzing inequalities, social transformation through the arts, and participatory research methodologies. She has undertaken research stays at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has been invited to speak at conferences, seminars, and courses at universities across Europe and Latin America. Additionally, she has served on the Scientific Committee for the UNAM International Gender Conference and as a juror for the Laureana Wright Prize for best feminist research.
Review Quotes:
"Defiant Sounds: Heavy Metal Music in the Global South is an important book, both for metal scholarship (which is a large and expanding global community) and equally for understanding Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations in the current world. Metal was ahead of the curve in grasping the political and cultural changes in the region. The editors are esteemed scholars of metal and globalization." --Deena Weinstein, DePaul University
"This is an important book. It is not just about metal music; it gives voice to those often ignored by a Western myopic parochialism. It opens a greater transformative perspective on cultures and politics receiving the attention that is much deserved from a rising Global South. Much praise is due to this collection of essays for continuing to expand decolonial dialogue in transdisciplinary research." --Niall W.R. Scott, Reader in Philosophy and Popular Culture, UCLan "Defiant Sounds constitutes a paradigmatic shift in metal music studies and is a vital model for future studies of globalized cultures. It is a must-read for activists and students of heavy metal, and for researchers in popular culture studies, anthropology, sociology, and ethnomusicology." --Paul Greene, Pennsylvania State University