Richard Smith

Ethnomusicology

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Richard Smith (they/them) is a candidate in ethnomusicology. Their dissertation explores gender euphoria in the musical performances of trans* and non-binary drag artists in the United States. Prior to the pandemic, they researched what it means to be queer and Arab in Israel, and how music may negotiate these identities. They won a 2020 Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship for this work but were unable to attend due to the pandemic. Richard’s work draws upon their interests in Deep Listening, the use of language, social media, and seeking joy, daily, as a trans* person in the U.S. Richard holds a B.A. in music from SUNY Stony Brook and an M.M. in Musicology (historical) from Northwestern University. Outside academia, Richard enjoys live-streaming atmospheric horror and other story-based video games, performing drag, coding in Python, and working as a professional drag and burlesque photographer.

Contact: rijsmith@umich.edu

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