Prof. M.M. Schiller (Melanie)

Professor - Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
Professor - Radboud Institute for Culture and History

Chair: Contemporary Media Cultures

Contact

melanie.schiller@ru.nl

To LinkedIn

Visiting address

Erasmusplein 1
6525 HT NIJMEGEN

Postal address

Postbus 9103
6500 HD NIJMEGEN

Tags: popular music, popular culture, media culture, politics, protest, populism, cultural studies, national identity, nationalism, radical right, affective polarization

Publications

Key publications

Schiller, M. (2025). "Populism in the land of pop: The Sweden Democrats, popular music, and the performance of heroic averageness" in: Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe, edited by Mario Dunkel and Melanie Schiller. London: Routledge. Full text
Schiller, M. (2023). ‘Rocking the establishment’: Subculture, authenticity and the populist radical right in Sweden. European Journal of Cultural Studies. Full text
Dunkel, M., & Schiller, M. (2022). The people vs. the power bloc? Popular music and populism. Popular Music, 41(3), 281-292. Full text
Schiller, M. (2022). Populism and Music. In L. Manucci (Ed.), The Populism Interviews : A Dialogue with Leading Experts Routledge. Full text
Schiller, M. (2020). Soundtracking Germany: Popular Music and National Identity. (Popular Musics Matter: Social, Political and Cultural Interventions). Rowman and Littlefield.

Publication lists

Research grants and prizes

Projects

Teaching

Media mentions

20 August 2025 - Pop music not only reflects social developments, it can also drive them. Political movements such as Trumpism and the populist right draw on cultural sources of nourishment, while at the same time reshaping that very culture — the two reinforce one another. I was interviewed on this theme in the second episode of the Nieuwsuur series “Music in Times of War and Crisis”, this time focusing on the rapid rise of Christian pop music. More information
24 August 2025 - Pop music as both a mirror and a megaphone of public debate Pop music acts both as a mirror and as a megaphone of public debate. Artists increasingly use their platforms to comment on pressing social and political issues — such as the conflict in Gaza — through protest songs and performances. In doing so, they place themselves within a longer tradition of music as a form of resistance and a driver of social change. More information
17 July 2025 - Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift… Pourquoi leurs fans s’habillent tous pareil I had a great conversation with Baptiste Ansé from Le Parisien about the rise of concert fashion and how artists and fan culture are driving a surge in fast fashion. Tours like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour are inspiring fans to buy themed outfits just for the show — leading to a noticeable spike in consumption trends. It’s a fun phenomenon with a serious downside: fast fashion has a devastating environmental impact, from textile waste to carbon emissions. More information
14 February 2023 - Miley Cyrus koopt haar eigen bloemen en Shakira zingt over Twingo's. Dit is waarom wraakliedjes het goed doen in de hitlijsten (ook rond Valentijnsdag) More information
23 November 2020 - MDR KULTUR Spezial Kraftwerk - Wir sind die Roboter - 50 Jahre Kraftwerk / Kraftwerk – Der Klang der BRD More information