Barna Róza Emília

Barna Róza Emília is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Communication at Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). She holds a PhD in Popular Music Studies from the University of Liverpool (2011) and additional MA degrees in Sociology and English Studies from the University of Szeged. She also serves as a guest lecturer at the University of Pécs’ "University of Music" programme.

Her research centers on the intersection of music, technology, and society, with particular focus on digital music industries, cultural labour, music and gender, music and politics, and popular music in semi-peripheral contexts. Her work critically examines how digitalization, state policies, and patriarchal structures shape music production, consumption, and labor, especially in Hungary and Eastern Europe.

Her recent publications analyze the role of popular music in the rise of right-wing populism in Hungary, emotional labor among female music managers, the bedroom as a site of music production, and the gendered dynamics of digital music work. She employs qualitative methods including interviews, sociodrama, and discourse analysis.

She leads and participates in major international research projects such as MUSICSTREAM (ERC), Popular Music and the Rise of Populism in Europe (Volkswagen Stiftung), and Creative Labour in the Hungarian Music Industry (NKFIH), reflecting her influence in the field of music sociology and cultural studies.

Her academic leadership includes heading the Cultural Industries MA specialisation at BME and serving on the International Advisory Board of the IASPM Journal. She has co-organized major conferences on music, politics, and digital culture and is a frequent invited speaker at international events.

She is also an active academic publisher, with recent books including Working in Music on the Semiperiphery and Popular Music, Technology, and the Changing Media Ecosystem, and has edited volumes on feminist perspectives and Hungarian popular music.