Concept of popular music studies for the Czech academic context - contribution to the development of Czech media studies

The topic of popular music has not been granted much attention in the Czech academic environment so far. Even less attention has been given to popular music in the Czech study of media. When analyzing media, the role of popular music is routinely neglected and its effects overlooked. The thesis surveys arguments that support music as a relevant subject for Czech media studies and determines whether the current exploration of popular music could provide useful knowledge for expanding the coverage of existing media studies tradition in the country and possibly for improving it. In its core, the thesis provides a picture of Czech musicology (especially on its popularization edge, sensitive to popular music) and the Anglo-American tradition of the study of popular music, popular music studies. It identifies and critically assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each area with regards to the study of media. In conclusion, the thesis confirms the need for the Czech popular music studies as a necessary component of the study of popular culture in the context of media studies. It suggests areas for further research and highlights its potential pitfalls - especially problems with application of Western theories in local context, the romantic ideology of rock and disproportionate focus on the exceptional...