Twentieth Century American History and the History of Popular Music
Ryan studies twentieth century American history and the history of popular music. He is especially interested in the intersection between music and social movements, in particular the civil rights, Black Power, and antiwar movements and their relationships with the popular music of the 1950s-70s. While at UMass Boston, Ryan completed his MA with a research project entitled “‘Swinging While I’m Singing’: The Musical Legacy of Malcolm X” which explored the relationship Malcolm X had with popular music during his lifetime, and how he posthumously came to be an icon and symbol of resistance within hip hop music. Ryan intends to continue researching such interactions between activism and music in the mid-twentieth century while at Boston University.