Recent PhD graduate in the Department of Sociology, Dr. Jean Hogarty has published a book based on her PhD thesis.
'Popular Music and Retro Culture in the Digital Era' was published by Routledge in their Advances in Sociology Series in the last month.
The website states 'This book explores the trend of retro and nostalgia within contemporary popular music culture.Using empirical evidence obtained from a case study of fans’ engagement with older music, the book argues that retro culture is the result of an inseparable mix of cultural and technological changes, namely, the rise of a new generation and cultural mood along with the encouragement of new technologies. Retro culture has become a hot topic in recent years but this is the first time the subject has been explored from an academic perspective and from the fans’ perspective.As such, this book promises to provide concrete answers about why retro culture dominates in contemporary society.'
Jean was awarded her PhD in 2015 for a thesis titled 'The Rhythm of Our Lives: Popular Music and Cultural Memory in the Age of the Internet and Retro Culture'. The thesis was completed under the supervision of Dr. Colin Coulter (primary supervisor) and Dr. Aphra Kerr (second supervisor) and examined by Dr. Jason Toynbee (The Open University, UK).
Well done!