Charlotte Doesburg

Supervisors: Dr Titus Hjelm and Dr Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi 

Email: charlotte.doesburg.16@ucl.ac.uk

Present status:  PhD candidate, Post-graduate Teaching Assistant

Modules Taught: SESS1202 Understanding Society: Introduction to Social Theory

Working title of thesis: The Adaptation and Appropriation of Finnish Folk Poetry in Metal Music

Research: The aim of my research is to understand the originations, legitimations and methods used by musicians to adapt and appropriate material from Finnish folk poetry. This thesis will consist out of several case studies of lyrics, representing songs written in Finnish and English by a variety of artists. This will simultaneously display the spread of metal inspired by the national epic, the Kalevala, and also highlight the different methods used by musicians. The Kalevala is considered a hugely influential Finnish cultural work and an essential part of Finnish national identity, whereas metal music is often seen in a negative light. My research will challenge these views on metal by researching a subgenre that is highly engaged with Finnish culture, history and modern society by reworking an essential part of its national identity, the Kalevala.