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The Politics of Prague's Metal Scene
Kurki, Alex ; Tomalová, Eliška (advisor) ; Oude Nijhuis, Dennie (referee)
This thesis examines the potential links between political behavior and the Prague metal scene. Many authors have suggested theories on links between music and politics, but there are few empirical studies on the topic. This thesis focuses on one genre of music in one space and cultural context: heavy metal music in Prague, Czech Republic. The literature on metal subcultures claims that they exist to perpetuate rebellion and transgression, and that members of these subcultures reject "politics"; however, metal is seen as political in some cases. Because of this, it is hypothesized that metal subculture members will have negative opinions on the political system and political participation, and will express support for anti-system parties or ideas. These hypotheses are tested through a qualitative thematic analysis of interviews and survey responses from 22 members of Prague's metal subculture. It is found that members of the subculture vote at a similar rate to the rest of the Czech population, and that the majority of participants identify as center-right or right-wing. The participants expressed ideas that were critical of the political system and of society discourses relating to politics. Furthermore, respondents viewed metal in Prague as apolitical, but felt metal could be political in some...
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