On 11 December at 6 pm, the 22nd edition of Popkritik took place at Paderborn University under the title "All I Want for Christmas is Popkritik". The venue was the Grill/Café on campus, where the students gathered.
In terms of content, the evening was dedicated entirely to the interplay between Christmas, pop music and musical traditions. As with the previous edition of Popkritik, this time there was no traditional podium. Instead, the focus was on a collaboratively curated Spotify playlist: all participants were invited to contribute their own songs - but only on the condition that they were able to contribute background knowledge on the creation, lyrics or artists. The evening was moderated by Alyssia Schröder and Julian Burkert, who led through the contributions and encouraged discussion.
An initial point of discussion was the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Bob Geldof's Band Aid project. In particular, the western view of Christmas and the problematic, partly colonial perspective on Africa were discussed. While the underlying fundraising campaign was viewed quite positively, the reproduction of stereotypical representations was clearly criticised.
Personal Christmas traditions also played an important role. Various participants contributed songs such as "Open wide the gates" and reported on their own experiences, for example from choir activities or family rituals. These contributions showed how strongly classical and church-influenced music continues to characterise Christmas.
An exciting contrast to this was provided by insights into South American Christmas traditions, where it quickly became clear how differently Christmas can be shaped culturally, both musically and in its general orientation.
Pop cultural curiosities also found their place: Billy Idol's version of "Frosty the Snowman", for example, was discussed, which is exemplary for questionable or at least unusual Christmas adaptations of well-known pop stars.
All in all, Popkritik XXII offered a varied and discussion-rich evening that combined academic perspectives, personal experiences and pop cultural phenomena, making it a successful prelude to the subsequent "Popmas" Christmas party.
