Collin Lieberg
About Me
I am in the third year of my PhD working on a thesis entitled, '"A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"1: American and British Cross-Cultural Influence and Exchange During the British Invasion.'
I obtained my BA (cum laude) in Philosophy from the University of California, Irvine in 2003. While there I participated in the Education Abroad Program, where I studied at University College, Utrecht in the Netherlands for the 2001-2002 academic year. After graduation, I took a year out to work, then went to the University of Sussex to obtain my MA (2005). There, Alun Howkins supervised my dissertation dealing with national identity in the English folk movement of the late 1960s. Upon my return to America I continued working in the music field where I was a Promotions Assistant for a cluster of radio stations in Ventura, California. I eventually moved to the Washington, DC area where I worked in the music department of a book store, working my way up to Music Department Manager then Merchandise Manager. I then received the opportunity to put my passion for music and history together at Warwick, where I arrived in October 2011.
Research
I am interested in ideas of cultural exchange, especially within music. The 1960s produced some of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, Bob Dylan, the Byrds and the Beach Boys, among others. These artists helped instil both a sense of national identity and internationalism within their audience. I will be exploring this idea of national identity, and what it meant to be 'American' or 'British' within in a musical context. At the same time, I will trace how these musicians influenced each other and society around them. The arrival of the Beatles into America in 1964 launched a 'British Invasion' in American music. Suddenly American musicians wanted to be British and British artists wanted to come to America.
Both American and British society was changing during this volatile time. America was struggling with Civil Rights, the Vietnam War and drugs, while Britain was only slowly coming out of the economic turmoil of the War and dealing with the after effects of losing an Empire. Musicians were aware of society around them and putting their thoughts to music. What can this music tell us about society, and the interplay of cultures across the Atlantic? Key questions this raises involve how similar were 'Swinging London' and other cultural bastions of the day like Los Angeles and San Francisco; what role did the people behind musicians, such as managers and producers, play in creating the music; and how much did the musicians influence each other?
Education
2011-2014: University of Warwick, PhD
2004-2005: University of Sussex, MA
1999-2003: University of California, Irvine, BA (cum laude)
Affiliations and Responsibilities
Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy
Assistant Editor (2014-2016), US Studies Online
Founder and Editor (2011-2013), Retrospectives: A History Postgraduate Journal
Member, British Association for American Studies
Member, Historians of the Twentieth Century United States
Member, International Association for the Study of Popular Music
Member, Popular Culture Association
Member, Phi Beta Kappa
[1] Monkees, 'A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You', 1967.
Feel free to contact me at:
C dot Lieberg at warwick dot ac dot uk
Department of History
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL
Supervisor: Roger Fagge