Berlin-based Historian Bodo Mrozek Awarded IASPM Book Prize 2021
News11.07.2021
This year, the international book prize for the study of popular music goes to Germany: Bodo Mrozek receives this honour from the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) for his work Jugend - Pop - Kultur. Eine transnationale Geschichte, published by Suhrkamp Verlag. In it, Mrozek, a historian at the Institute of Contemporary History Munich-Berlin (IfZ), deals with the scandalisation and establishment of youth and pop culture in the second half of the 20th century using the example of political debates about pop and rock music. His book is awarded is in the category »best non-English-language book«. Other prizes in this category are received by Ignácz Ádám (Hungary), Viriya Sawangchot (Thailand) and Jacopo Tomatis (Italy). The prize for the best English-language book is awarded to Kyle Devine for Decomposed: the Political Ecology of Music.
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music, organised in 15 chapters worldwide, is committed to the examination of popular music in research, teaching and education. An international jury of experts selected this year’s winners from a total of 32 nominees worldwide. The prize has been awarded at the World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music every two years since 2003.
»The far-reaching transnational perspective over five countries (and at times even more) with truly deep-probing archival research – in addition to the tremendous amount of printed sources, 27 archives in six countries were scoured – is spectacular. Overall, Bodo Mrozek has presented an extraordinary scholarly achievement that depicts the emergence of international pop culture in previously unseen breadth, embedded in wide-reaching lines of development, and analyzed with a diverse, up to date theoretical arsenal. From my perspective, we have a milestone work of pop history that demonstrates the great analytical potential of the combination of approaches from sound studies, visual history, body history, and other approaches. In addition, the author continuously opens up new perspectives and writes so brilliantly, making reading an invigorating pleasure.« Detlef Siegfried, Historian at Copenhagen University
The International Association for the Study of Popular Music, organised in 15 chapters worldwide, is committed to the examination of popular music in research, teaching and education. An international jury of experts selected this year’s winners from a total of 32 nominees worldwide. The prize has been awarded at the World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music every two years since 2003.
»The far-reaching transnational perspective over five countries (and at times even more) with truly deep-probing archival research – in addition to the tremendous amount of printed sources, 27 archives in six countries were scoured – is spectacular. Overall, Bodo Mrozek has presented an extraordinary scholarly achievement that depicts the emergence of international pop culture in previously unseen breadth, embedded in wide-reaching lines of development, and analyzed with a diverse, up to date theoretical arsenal. From my perspective, we have a milestone work of pop history that demonstrates the great analytical potential of the combination of approaches from sound studies, visual history, body history, and other approaches. In addition, the author continuously opens up new perspectives and writes so brilliantly, making reading an invigorating pleasure.« Detlef Siegfried, Historian at Copenhagen University