Call for Abstracts!
’00s Alternative and Philosophy: Every Thought in its Right Place
Edited by Joshua Heter and Richard Greene
For a follow-up to ’90s Alternative and Philosophy: Modern Rock Meditations, abstracts are sought for a collection of essays to be published with Wallace & Jacobs Press on any philosophical topic related to alternative rock in the 2000s (i.e., 2000 through 2009), including but limited to subgenres such as post-punk (revival), garage rock, emo, (pop-)punk, nu metal, post-grunge, indie rock, indie folk (i.e., stomp clap hey music), synth pop, etc. Potential contributors may want to examine previous volumes from Heter and Greene: Punk Rock and Philosophy: Research and Destroy (2022), Post-Punk and Philosophy: Rip it Up and Think Again (2024), and the aforementioned ’90s Alternative and Philosophy: Modern Rock Meditations (2026). Abstracts (with an approximate length of 100 – 500 words) and eventual essays (with an approximate length of 3,000 – 3,500 words) should be written for an educated but non-specialized audience. Potential topics include, but are not limited to…
– Why do we listen to such sad emo songs?
– What exactly is “indie” music? Is it the type of thing that can be defined?
– How did the rise of the iPod and MP3s change fandom and the listening experience? Was it for the worse or for the better (or was it neutral)?
– Much of the garage rock in the ’00s was stripped down and simple (e.g., The White Stripes, Modest Mouse, The Strokes). Does that make it a lesser art form?
– Is it morally wrong to listen to (e.g., pop punk and nu metal) songs with misogynistic lyrics?
– How should we think about music protesting the Bush administration/war in Iraq (e.g., by Green Day, Radiohead, NOFX, etc.)? Did it do any good?
– Can screamo be beautiful? Or does screamo challenge the idea that art is always aimed at beauty?
– How should we think about “alternative rock” in the 2000s, when the genre had been mainstream for a decade?
– Is “What really matters is what you like, not what you are like” (Rob’s life philosophy from High Fidelity) at all, in any way, defensible?
– Is it ethically problematic to consume the art (e.g., the alt-rock music) of artists we know have done bad things?
– What does it mean to “sell out”? Is selling out inherently bad?
– How has Coachella changed concert going (and music)?
– Why does everyone hate Nickelback (and do they deserve the scorn)?
– Why do so many people hate Coldplay (and do they deserve the scorn)?
– Can heavy metal be alternative? Where are the boundaries of the genre?
– What is authenticity, and does it make for better music?
– What are the moral implications of using file-sharing services to download MP3s (e.g., Napster, LimeWire, Kazaa)?
– What are Millennial values and how is that reflected in (or by) the music of the ’00s?
– What would prominent philosophers from history think about alternative rock in the ’00s (and everything that came with it)?
– Did feminism take a step back in ’00s alternative rock?
– Why did the supergroups of the ’00s (e.g., Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, Them Crooked Vultures, The Bens) fail to make a cultural impact (or did they)?
– What led to the resurgence of (indie) folk acts (e.g., Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) in the ’00s? Are these bands really alternative?
– Did the post-punk revival of the ’00s honor or appropriate the bands that came before it?
– Was the rise of Coachella a bad thing for music (or music festivals)?
– Was the ’00s the last great decade for rock music (alternative otherwise)? Why?
– Some have classified the ’00s as the last (culturally homogenized) decade. Is that true? Is it a bad thing?
– What exactly is a hipster, and should I be concerned if I am one?
– A number of punk bands entered their 3rd (or 4th) decade in the 2000s. Can punk in middle age (and beyond) still have the same force, or is punk a young person’s game? What does punk’s longevity say about it?
… and many more!
Contributor Guidelines:
Mail abstracts (and any questions) to: 00salternativeandphilosophy@gmail.com
1. Abstracts should be between 100 and 500 words.
2. Potential contributors must include a resume/CV for each author/coauthor.
3. Initial submissions should be made by e-mail as either a Word doc. or a PDF.
4. Deadlines:
Abstracts due by November 16, 2026
First drafts due by March 1, 2027
Final drafts due by May 4, 2027
(Early submissions are encouraged and welcomed!)
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