Méi-Ra St-Laurent, PhD

SSHRC Postdoctoral fellow

Concordia University

Biography

Dr. Méi-Ra St-Laurent is pursuing a SSHRC-funded postdoctoral internship with the Someone Projet team, where she is interested in the use of so-called “politically correct” discourse in the North American context of popular music in relation with the circulation of hate speech in public spaces. Méi-Ra holds a PhD in musicology from l’Université Laval (Québec). Her doctoral thesis focuses on the way black metal groups in Québec share their identity and reconfigure it by adapting the ideological and aesthetic codes of black metal to Quebec history and culture. She has also published several scientific articles in different periodicals (Metal Music Studies, Journal on the Art of Record Production or Intersections: Canadian music journal) and presented her work at several international conferences (Art of Record Production Conference, International Association for the Study of Popular Music, International Society for Metal Music Studies). Her academic interests are aimed at gaining a better understanding of the way in which music emanating from a society at a given time reflects the social and political challenges characterizing it.

Education

• 2019: Ph.D. – Musicology, Université Laval, Faculté de musique
• 2013: M.Mus. – Musicology, Université Laval, Faculté de musique
• 2010: B.Mus. – Music history major, Université Laval, Faculté de musique

Courses taught

Theory and practices in Musicology (Université Laval)

Publications

2019. St-Laurent, Méi-Ra. “Ancien folklore Québécois: Analysis of the Phonographic and Identity-based Narrative of the métal noir québécois community”. Metal Music Studies Journal 5, no 3: 379-399.

2019. St-Laurent, Méi-Ra et Vivek Venkatesh. “Le métal noir québécois: regards sur les représentations musicales et culturelles du nationalisme dans la communauté de black metal du Québec”. Volume! La revue des musiques populaires. 21 p.

2019. St-Laurent, Méi-Ra. “‘It’s kind of in the middle’: The ‘Mid-Fi’ Aesthetic: Toward a New Designation of Black Metal Aesthetic of Recording. The Case of the Québec Black Metal Scene”. Dans Proceedings of the 12th Art of Record Production Conference: Mono: Stereo: Multi, Jan-Olof Gullö (dir.), 267-262. Stockholm: Royal College of Music (KMH) & Art of Record Production.

2019. St-Laurent, M. “ ‘Métal noir épique patriotique’: Analysis of Historical, Sociological and Cultural Discourses Uniting Metal noir québécois and Québec Society.” In Living Metal: Metal Scenes around the World, edited by Bryan A. Bardine and Jerome Stueart: Intellect Press.

2018. St-Laurent, M. and Eric Smialek. “Unending Eruptions: White-Collar Metal Appropriations of Classical Complexity, Experimentation, Elitism, and Cultural Legitimization.” In The Routledge Companion to Popular Music Analysis: Expanding Approaches, edited by Ciro Scotto, Kenneth Smith and John Brackett, 378-399. New York: Routledge.

2016. St-Laurent, M. “Finally Getting out of the Maze: Understanding the Narrative Structure of Extreme Metal through a Study of ‘Mad Architect’ by Septicflesh.” Metal Music Studies 2, no 1: 87-107.

2016. St-Laurent, M. “La construction de la puissance et de l’oppression dans ‘Puritania’ de Dimmu Borgir.” In Chant pensé, chant vécu, temps chanté : Formes, usages et représentations des pratiques vocales, edited by Nicolas Bénard and Charlotte Poulet. 87-104, Sampzon : Édition Delatour.

 2014. St-Laurent, M. “Quand le metal flirte avec ABBA: Analyses de transformations formelles et thématiques de ‘Summer Night City’.” Intersections: revue canadienne de musique 34, no 1-2: 135-151.

 2012. St-Laurent, M. “Les rapprochements entre la musique metal et la musique classique: Le cas de Therion et de Richard Wagner.” Sociétés: Musiques rock et metal: Regards et perspectives des sciences humaines sociales 117, no 3: 129-142.