Justin Patch

Justin Patch studies music in American politics; sound studies; East Asian art music; and music in the African diaspora. He is currently engaged in two projects, a monograph on the artistic practices of contemporary American populism and an ethnographic study of sound and religion in the post-industrial areas of the Hudson Valley. His monograph, Discordant Democracy: Noise, Affect, Populism and the Presidential Campaign, was published by Routledge in 2019, and a sound studies text book Re-Making Sound: An Experiential Approach to Sound Studies, co-authored with Tom Porcello, is being published by Bloomsbury in 2021. In addition Justin has published articles on music and presidential campaigns, popular music in education, ethnographic methodology, music and the anti-war movement, and science fiction.

Justin completed requirements for both Jazz Studies and Classical performance (guitar) at the University of Minnesota, following that with a Masters in Performance at the Boston Conservatory. He then attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning an MM and PhD in Ethnomusicology. While in Austin he covered country and Americana for The Daily Texan and played a number of local venues and festivals, including SXSW. Before joining Vassar’s faculty in 2012, Justin taught at several colleges and non-profit programs in the Boston area.