Benjamin R. Teitelbaum is Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology and Affiliate Faculty in International Affairs. A scholar of music, neofascism, and radical nationalism in the Nordic countries, topics featured in his publications include white nationalist hip hop and reggae, the listening habits of Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, the rise of anti-immigrant political parties in Scandinavia, and the ethical dilemmas facing researchers of organized racism. His first book is Lions of the North: Sounds of the New Nordic Radical Nationalism (Oxford University Press, 2017). Teitelbaum's commentary on music and politics has appeared in major European and American media outlets in addition to scholarly venues. Recently, Teitelbaum spoke with Nathan Heffel of Colorado Public Radio News on the topic of "What Does Music Say About The Future Of White Nationalism?" Click here to visit their website and listen to the full talk (orange box above image on their webpage).
What Does Music Say About The Future Of White Nationalism?
Source: CPR News, Colorado Matters
Original article here
Sam Brasch, August 18, 2017
Like other political movements, white nationalism has shifted over time. Benjamin R. Teitelbaum, an assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been spent much of his career tracking those changes by following the cultural expressions of white nationalists--their music in particular.
He claims to have heard a moderation in the movement. Aggressive skinhead rock dominated in the 1990s. Over the last few decades, the soundtrack shifted toward mournful odes to a dying white race.
At the same time, leaders in Europe tried to take white nationalism into the political mainstream. Swedish anti-immigrant leader Daniel Friberg traded in his skinhead style for a suit and sunglasses. The buttoned-down image helped him sell his ideology as just another political alternative.
That's why Teitelbaum noted Friberg's attendance at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Teitelbaum wrote that white nationalists have moved from "accommodating critics to ignoring them." Going forward, he told Colorado Matters, activists may become more open about their political views. They could also embrace the antagonistic tactics of the so-called alt-right.