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Published by Anthem Press. women in heavy metal
SYNOPSIS
This book offers a sociological examination of gender issues concerning the place and role of women in the heavy metal subculture. Grounded in feminist theories of gender difference and in dialogue with relevant studies from various perspectives, this study analyzes how women are perceived to ‘do gender’ in the heavy metal community, which has traditionally been largely composed of men and is commonly known for its hypermasculine qualities. Relying on semi-structured interviews with self-identified fans of heavy metal, we reveal that the respondents indeed describe their own music (sub)culture as traditionally dominated by men, but that they also note the distinct signs of progress women have made in entering into and participating within the heavy metal culture on terms aspiring to equality with men. Yet, despite these changes that are understood as positive for women, both for their place in society as well as for the world of heavy metal, gendered conditions driven by masculinity continue to exist for women in heavy metal. Women are thus attempting to find their way to develop what might one day become, but as of now not yet is, a realized and acknowledged identity and culture of heavy metal feminism.
Related blog post: Heavy Metal Women: How Gender Matters in Popular Culture, Anthem Press Blog, June 7, 2021.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NEWS & REVIEWS
Bleeding Metal Podcast - Podcast by Bleeding Metal on "Metal & High Heels", January 18, 2022. Click the title link or press the play button to the right! Also available on Audacy and YouTube.
USC Professor and Former Grad Student Publish Book on Women in Heavy Metal - Article by Lucas Daprille in The State, October 22, 2021.
WIA Report: Recent Books of Interest to Women Scholars - Women in Academia Report included the book in its list of books of interest published on October 12, 2021.
"Doing Gender in Heavy Metal: Perceptions on Women in a Hypermasculine Subculture, by Anna S. Rogers and Mathieu Deflem examines gender patterns in heavy metal, as experienced by self-identified fans of the genre... this book provides a welcome addition to gender analyses in specific contexts. The discussions of gender performativity and defensive othering are comprehensive and provide accessible examples to which students would likely relate. It would fit in nicely as one reading in a graduate seminar on the sociology of music, or in a theory class in a unit on gender." - Rachel Kalish, Contemporary Sociology, 2023.
"[Doing Gender in Heavy Metal] is a very interesting, thoughtful and useful study. I’m glad it got published in book form because it might (should!) find a broader audience outside the academic community. Surf into your favourite on-line retailer or better yet visit a real bookstore, and grab a copy for your library!" - Book review on heavy metal website Metal-Rules.com's Library of Loudness, February 1, 2022.
“Doing Gender in Heavy Metal offers a fascinating exploration of gender in the male-dominated world of heavy metal. The interviews with fans demonstrate that gender shapes aspects of this subculture in both expected and unexpected ways.” —Dawn K. Cecil, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg
PUBLICATION
This book is published by Anthem Press in paperback, eBook/Kindle, and hardback.
Published in London and New York by Anthem Press.
© 2022 ISBN-13: 978-1-83998-133-3 (Hbk) ISBN-10: 1-83998-133-4 (Hbk) ISBN-13: 978-1-83998-136-4 (Pbk) ISBN-10: 1-83998-136-9 (Pbk)
