Keith Kahn-Harris

Keith Kahn-Harris is a sociologist and music critic. He is an honorary research fellow and senior lecturer at Birkbeck College, ^[1] an associate fellow of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, ^[2] and a lecturer at Leo Baeck College.

Khan-Harris was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, Elstree, at the same time as comedians Sacha Baron Cohen and Matt Lucas, and starred in a student review with Robert Webb whilst a student studying social and political science at Robinson College, Cambridge. ^[3] He went on to graduate with MA and PhD degrees from Goldsmiths, University of London, and has since published academic and non-academic articles on Judaism, music scenes, heavy metal music, transgression, Israel, communities, dialogue, religion, ethnicity, political discourse, and denial. ^[3]

Academic positions

• 2008–09: Research Associate at the Centre for Urban and Community Research, Goldsmiths, University of London, working on project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council "Contemporary Anglo-Jewry and Leadership: Coping with Multiculturalism" (with Ben Gidley). ^[4]
• 2007–08: Research Associate at the Centre for Urban and Community Research, Goldsmiths, working on two projects funded by the Rothschild Foundation Europe: "A Mapping Study of Efforts to Combat Antisemitism, Racism and Xenophobia at the Local, Communal and Grassroots Levels in Europe" (with Roger Hewitt) and "From Security to Insecurity?: Jewish Communal Leadership in Changing Times" (with Ben Gidley). ^[4]
• 2005: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Advanced Cultural Studies Institute of Sweden, Campus Norrköping of Linköping University. ^[5]
• 2001–02: "Jerusalem Fellow" at the Mandel School for Advanced Educational Leadership in Jerusalem.^{[ citation needed ]}

Select bibliography

Books written

• The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language Icon Books, 2021
• Strange Hate: Anti-semitism, racism, and the Limits of Diversity Repeater books, 2019
  • Review, by Howard Cooper The Jewish Chronicle , 18 June 2020
• Denial: The Unspeakable Truth, Notting Hill Editions, 2018 ^[6]
• Uncivil War: The Israel Conflict in the Jewish Community, David Paul Books, 2014 ^[7]
  • Review by C Schindler, Jewish Journal of Sociology 56 (2014) 127–128.
• All that Matters: Judaism, Hodder Education, 2012 ^[8]
• (co-written with Ben Gidley), Turbulent Times: The British Jewish Community Today Continuum 2010 ^[9]
• Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge Berg 2007 ^[10]
  • Review: ^[11]

Books edited

• (co-edited with Dougald Hine) Despatches from the Invisible Revolution New Public Thinking 2012 ^[12]
• (co-edited with Andy Bennett) After subculture: Critical studies in contemporary youth culture Basingstoke Palgrave 2004 ^[13]

Refereed articles in scholarly journals

• "Religious Popular Music: Between the Instrumental, Transcendent and Transgressive" in Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 48/1, 87–106 2012
• (With Ben Gidley) "Contemporary Anglo-Jewish and Community Leadership: Coping with Multiculturalism", British Journal of Sociology 63/1 2012
• "Creating Jewish Rap: From Parody to Syncretism" in transversal – Zeitschrift für Jüdische Studien 1 2009 21–38
• "The 'Failure' of Youth Culture: Music, Politics and Reflexivity in the Black Metal Scene" in European Journal of Cultural Studies , 7/1 2004, pp 95–111
• "'Roots'?: The Relationship Between the Global and the Local Within the Global Extreme Metal Scene" in Popular Music 19/1, 2000, pp 13–30

Journal special issues

• (Co-edited with Titus Hjelm and Mark LeVine) "Heavy Metal: Controversies and Countercultures" Popular Music History 6: 1/2, April/August 2012
• (Co-edited with Karl Spracklen and Andy R. Brown) "Metal Studies: Cultural Research in the Heavy Metal Scene" Journal for Cultural Research 15: 3, July 2011

Personal life

He is married to Rabbi Deborah Kahn-Harris, with whom he has two children. ^[14]

References

1. "Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society". Bbk.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
2. "Institute of Jewish Policy Research: Staff". Institute for Jewish Policy Research . Retrieved 16 July 2012.
3. "About - The Longer Version". kahn-harris.org. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
4. "Kahn-Harris, Keith, Goldsmiths, University of London". Gold.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
5. "Activities 2005: Activities: ISAK: Linköpings universitet". ISAK. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
6. Worldcat book record
7. Rocker, Simon (6 June 2014). "Uncivil War: The Israel Conflict in the Jewish community". The Jewish Chronicle . Retrieved 22 July 2014.
8. "All That Matters | Interesting introductions to important ideas". Allthatmattersbooks.com. Archived from the original on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
9. Kahn, Keith. "Turbulent times: The British Jewish community today". Ekklesia. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
10. WorldCat book entry
11. "Book Review: Keith Kahn-Harris – Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge | Latest News". Metal Injection. 11 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
12. "Despatches from the Invisible Revolution | New Public Thinking #1: Reflections on 2011". New Public Thinking. 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
13. [Worldcat book page
14. "Rabbi Dr Deborah Kahn-Harris". Who's Who. Liberal Judaism (United Kingdom) . Retrieved 12 June 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Guardian profile: Keith Kahn-Harris
• New Statesman: Keith Kahn-Harris
• Interview in Metal Rules