Fabian Holt

Research

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Hello stranger, I'm Fabian, nice to meet you,

I have expertise in political organization and communication, with a focus on climate change and biodiversity. I recently completed a book titled Organize or Burn (NYU Press 2025) on the potential of political organizations that integrate elements of movement and party politics in a climate context. The case study is the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that gained international attention after Zohran Mamdani's successful campaign for mayor in 2025. DSA developed his platform and field operation with 104.000 volunteers.

Keywords:

• Political communication and organization for a just and sustainable society
• Social movements and political parties
• Sustainability communication, ESG, and greenwashing
• Political action toward sustainable business

I have published five books and worked internationally at the University of Chicago, Columbia University, Humboldt University of Berlin, and New York University’s Institute for Public Knowledge.

In 2019, I transitioned from the sociology of music to political sociology and communication out of concern with the climate crisis. I did my PhD (2001) in a music department and worked on the sociology of music festivals throughout the 2010s. This research culminated in a Habilitation in 2019, which has been reviewed in five international journals across disciplines such as anthropology, business, and music studies. The reviews all describe the book as a seminal work. Anthony Seeger, professor at UCLA and son of Pete Seeger, wrote: “Unique in its approach, groundbreaking in its objectives, Everyone Loves Live Music is a milestone and a point of reference for future studies.” I am also the founding editor of the 33 1/3 Europe book series published by Bloomsbury, comprising 15 titles thus far.

Select publications:

"The Geo-Ecological Turn in Sociology and its Implications for the Sociology of the Arts" (Cultural Sociology 2022)

Genre in Popular Music (Chicago 2007)

The book series 33 1/3 Europe, published by Bloomsbury

Memberships:

* European Communication Research and Education Association

* International Association for the Study of Popular Music