Name: Popular Music as a Medium of Resistance
Start: 2026-05-08T07:00:00
End: 2026-05-08T07:00:00
Location: Podchorążych 2/2, 30-084 Kraków, Poland

About the event

The musicology section at the Institute of Polish Philology of the University of the Commission of National Education in Kraków cordially invites participation in the nationwide student and doctoral conference titled: POPULAR MUSIC AS A MEDIUM OF RESISTANCE.

The conference will be held on May 8, 2026 at the University of the Commission of National Education in Kraków. The event will be devoted to the theme of resistance and rebellion within musical cultures. In the history of popular music one can find many connections between artistic and extra-artistic activities of creators of popular music and practices of resistance, contestation and transgression. Music, song lyrics, music videos, and album covers are media that have often served to express artistic identity and convey particular ideological and political meanings. We propose an interdisciplinary reflection on the titular issues. We invite students from various fields of study, especially in the humanities, social sciences and arts.

However, we are open to a variety of paper proposals. Below we propose framework topics worth academic reflection:

Representations of rebellion and resistance in popular music
History of genres with contestatory potential (e.g. punk, grunge, hip-hop)
Visual dimensions of rebellion in band activities (covers, fashion, performances)
Rebellious practices related to subcultures and post-subcultures
Forms of transgression in popular music
Protest songs of the 20th and 21st centuries
Popular music as a means of fighting for human rights
Popular music as a space for fighting for minority rights