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Jan Koplow

Student
Music

Overview


I'm a second-year Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology, and I've earned a Bachelor's degree in Music with a major in Music Theory and Literature at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

My research interests span (ethno)musicology, popular music studies, sound studies, indigenous studies, political ecology, and environmental humanities.

Currently, I'm looking at extractive industries, environmental activism, and Indigeneity through the lens of contemporary metal music in Chile, particularly Rancagua. Previous to this approach, I've been studying the relationship between its practice and the situation of the Indigenous cultures Mapuche, Selk'nam, and Kawésqar and the positioning of bands towards the ecological crises and the dynamics of extractivism in the country.

Other side projects/reflections/inquiries relate to ways of understanding relationships between humans and more-than-human beings; the role that silence plays within environmental discussions and the perception of pollution; and the materiality of sound.

Current Appointments & Affiliations