Acknowledgements

I owe the biggest thanks of all to my partner, soul mate, band mate, friend, colleague, and ethnomusicologist Mia Reba. This work would not have been possible without her continuous encouragements, help, insights, critical advice, reviews, and our numerous discussions.

I also want to say a special thanks to my supervisor Dr Nathan Riki Thomson, for he has tried hard to make me see the use and aim of artistic research. I feel grateful for Dr Danielle Treacy, whose advice and insights are always precious and deeply appreciated. I hope she gets a greater role to play in our department. Miia Laine has been a great help for orienting my thesis, and her course on “current societal topics” was deeply appreciated, as well as urgently needed.

Puro Paju has played a special role these last three years in mentoring me, and Hanne Luostarinen in guiding me through the maze of Sibelius Academy’s administrative requirements. And finally, I want to thank all the teachers and students of the department (and even slightly beyond), who provided me with a beautiful place to grow, as a musician and as a human. I am grateful to the Global Music programme for existing and trying to make a difference in this world.

To name a few, among others and in disorder, I want to thank: the Manderas aka Ana, Daniel, Markus, Ayla, Genevieve and Juho, Loica, Javier, João, Kata, Yoandy, Sakke, Tero, Julius, Adri, Jennifer, Nemat, Karoliina, Mikko, Vassilis, Shafeeq, Leïla, Merve, Mehrnoosh, Kärt, Vija and the whole PSG crew, Kasheshi, Devina, Manu, Steph, and many more.

I am also deeply grateful to Syksy, Alaa, Aso and all the people who believed and helped organise the Festival of Resistance(s).