Moira de Kok (2023)
For the Hélène Nolthenius Prize 2023, the jury assessed six submitted theses.
The thesis that surprised the most in all respects by the combination of professionalism and originality and thus became the winner of the Hélène Nolthenius Prize 2023 is: 'Sounds of Solidarity: Music in the 1984–85 Miners' Strike' by Moira de Kok (supervised by Dr Rebekah Ahrendt of Utrecht University).
The winning thesis deals with the large-scale strikes surrounding the closure of coal mines in Britain under Margaret Thatcher, which divided the country in the 1980s and have been called by the BBC 'the bitterest industrial dispute in British history'. Many artists showed their support for the miners, and that support sometimes came from unexpected quarters, such as Gays and Lesbians Support the Miners. The thesis analyses the role of 'solidarity' in the musical expressions surrounding the strikes on the basis of four case studies: the tours of singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, the benefit single of Paul Weller's Council Collective, the 'Pits and Perverts' concerts where miners danced along to Bronski Beat, and the experimental collaboration of industrial formation Test Dept with Welsh miners' choirs.
According to the jury, the thesis offers a particularly original, rich and convincing analysis based on excellent theoretical knowledge about 'solidarity', extensive literature study on the miners' strikes and on music, and a great diversity of primary sources. With archival research in Amsterdam and Manchester and an interview with one of the main characters in the thesis, Billy Bragg, it can be seen that this student has done everything in his power to achieve the best possible result.
Although it is by no means self-evident that a socio-historical subject such as solidarity lends itself to music analysis, Moira de Kok answers the question of what the sound of solidarity is in an original and creative way. She not only knows how to capture the sound of the various artists in words, but also to make clear how that sound is relevant to the message that a particular recording or performance conveys. The resounding music is therefore an essential part of the argumentation.
Finally, the thesis stands out for its nuance and layering: both the concept of solidarity itself and the case studies are examined from multiple perspectives, in a finely woven structure. The thesis makes it very clear that solidarity is always both a form of inclusion and exclusion (in which issues such as gender and race are explicitly addressed), and that calls for 'solidarity' in the musical world are always part of a musical politics, in which artists position themselves in relation to the competition.
It was a great pleasure to read this study, which also offers both sobering and inspiring insights for today's world – in which the concepts of inclusion, identity and solidarity once again play a prominent role.
The jury of the Hélène Nolthenius Prize 2023 consisted of Dr. Hannah Bosma, Dr. Rutger Helmers and Dr. Philomeen Lelieveldt.
