Biography
Julian Schaap (Rotterdam, 1988) is assistant professor sociology of music at the Department of Arts and Culture Studies and a member of Young Erasmus Academy and KNAW's De Jonge Akademie. His research focuses on stratification and well-being in cultural production and consumption practices, with popular music in particular. For more information, please see: julianschaap.eu
Combining cognitive and cultural sociology with the sociology of ethno-racial/gender stratification, Julian studied the (re)production of whiteness and masculinity of rock music reception for his dissertation research. For this project, entitled Elvis has finally left the building? Boundary work, whiteness and the reception of rock music in comparative perspective, he received grants from NWO, Fulbright (for a visiting scholarship at Emory University, Atlanta, GA) and the Erasmus Trustfonds. He defended his dissertation (cum laude) in October 2019 and received multiple awards for his work, including the Praemium Erasmianum Dissertation Prize 2020 and the Erasmus University Research Award 2020. In 2018, Julian published a book on gender inequality in metal music production, together with Pauwke Berkers (ESHCC). Since 2022 Julian has been working on his NWO-Veni funded research project 'No Music, No Life?' on how young adults use music for their well-being across social groups. At the same time, he works together with medical colleagues from Erasmus Medical Center (Muziek als Medicijn), doing various projects on music, well-being and pain, together with cultural partners such as the Lowlands music festival and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Spearheading the music-agenda, he is also a member of the Healthy Start community.
Aside from teaching various courses in sociology of culture, Julian is co-organizer of a recurring series of artistic symposia called Music Talks, and he is coordinator of the educational minor program Mu$ic: The economy, sociology and practice of popular music.
Research interests: *culture, stratification, well-being, popular music*
Onderzoeksinteresses: *cultuur, ongelijkheid, welzijn, populaire muziek*
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication
- j.schaap@eshcc.eur.nl
More information
Work
- Julian Schaap, Jeroen van der Waal & Willem de Koster (2021) - Black rap, white rock: Non-declarative culture and the racialization of cultural categories - Sociological Inquiry - doi: 10.1111/soin.12461 - [link]
- Femke Vandenberg, Michael Berghman & Julian Schaap (2020) - The ‘lonely raver’: music livestreams during COVID-19 as a hotline to collective consciousness? - European Societies, 23 (51), 141-152 - doi: 10.1080/14616696.2020.1818271 - [link]
- Julian Schaap & Pauwke Berkers (2020) - “Maybe it’s?…?skin colour?” How race-ethnicity and gender function in consumers’ formation of classification styles of cultural content - Consumption Markets & Culture, 23 (6), 599-615 - doi: 10.1080/10253866.2019.1650741 - [link]
- Julian Schaap & Pauwke Berkers (2020) - “You’re Not Supposed to Be into Rock Music”: Authenticity Maneuvering in a White Configuration - Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, 6 (3), 416-430 - doi: 10.1177/2332649219899676 - [link]
- Thys Boer & Julian Schaap (2021) - Reimagining Rotterdam's Nightlife - Urban Pamphleteer, 20-22 - [link]
- Julian Schaap (24 december 2025) - Waarom staan er zoveel mannen in de Top 2000?
- Julian Schaap (4 december 2025) - Muziek in eigen taal doet het in heel Europa goed, blijkt uit Spotify-lijstjes. Hoe komt dat?
- Julian Schaap (1 december 2025) - Waarom is er zo'n buzz rondom Spotify Wrapped?
- Julian Schaap (17 juli 2025) - Vertel socioloog Julian Schaap welke merch je draagt, en hij weet wie je bent
- Julian Schaap (16 juni 2025) - Waar komen de bandshirts eigenlijk vandaan?
- Julian Schaap (24 januari 2024) - Geen muziek, geen leven? Hoe muziek ons (niet) helpt
- Julian Schaap (30 december 2020) - De Nieuws BV. Jongeren en corona.
- Julian Schaap & Britt Swartjes (3 december 2020) - Music Talks: Festivals and Corona
- Julian Schaap (5 november 2020) - Vraag het een wetenschapper: Zijn we allemaal racist?
- Julian Schaap (14 oktober 2020) - N8W8 Red de nacht
- Julian Schaap (30 september 2020) - Zelfs Covid-19 houdt het dansen niet tegen
- Pauwke Berkers & Julian Schaap (1 mei 2019) - Metal: meer muziek voor mannen
- Pauwke Berkers & Julian Schaap (9 april 2019) - Despite Damning New Research, Women In Country Music Have It Better Than Most
- Pauwke Berkers & Julian Schaap (13 december 2018) - Interview Kat Katz metalzangers: ‘Ik was de intimidatie door mannen beu’
- Pauwke Berkers & Julian Schaap (4 november 2018) - Het oorverdovende gebrul van metal: Voer voor de wetenschap
- Julian Schaap (7 september 2018) - Whitewashing; racisme of menselijke reactie?
- Julian Schaap (25 mei 2018) - Faces of Science - Julian Schaap
- Julian Schaap (2026) - Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) (External organisation) (Member)
Activiteit: Membership of network › Academic - Julian Schaap (2025) - Music, Platforms and Well-Being (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Academic - Julian Schaap, Antonia Becker & Emy van der Valk Bouman (2025) - Muziek in een ander licht: Maatschappij & Wetenschap Achter het Geluid (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Professional - Julian Schaap, Antonia Becker & Emy van der Valk Bouman (2025) - Muziek als medicijn? Je favoriete muziek als bron van welzijn (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Professional - Julian Schaap (2025) - Gender in the Production of Music (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Professional - Julian Schaap (2025) - Muziek vanuit de Sociologie (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Popular - Julian Schaap (2025) - Declerative vs. nondeclarative knowledge in cultural fields (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Academic - Julian Schaap (2025) - Why Metal Matters: A Sociological Deconstruction of Metal Music, Musicians and Community (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Popular - Julian Schaap (2025) - Inzichten vanuit de Sociologie van Muziek (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Professional - Julian Schaap (2025) - De Sociologie van Muziek (Speaker)
Activiteit: Invited talk › Professional
- JCF (Julian) Schaap (2021) - New Scientist Wetenschapstalent 2021
- Jacco van Sterkenburg, Amanda Paz Alencar, Julian Schaap & Pauwke Berkers (2021) - KNAW Science Communication Grant. Main applicant.
- Julian Schaap (2020) - Erasmus University Research Prize 2020
- Julian Schaap (2020) - Praemium Erasmianum Foundation Dissertation Prize
- Julian Schaap (2019) - EGSH Best Thesis Award 2019
Master Thesis
- Level
- MA
- Year Level
- MA
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- CC4050
Master Thesis
- Level
- MA-2
- Year Level
- MA-2
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- CS5050
Master Thesis Class ACS
- Level
- MA
- Year Level
- MA
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- CC4008
Introduction to Social Science Methods
- Year Level
- BA-1, BA-1
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- CC1016
Popular Music: Industry & Society
- Year Level
- BA-2, BA-2, BA-3, BA-3, Minor
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- CC2052B
Popular Music: Industry & Society
- Level
- Minor
- Year Level
- Minor
- Year
- 2025
- Course Code
- CC2052
