Dr Snezhina Gulubova
Ethnomusicologist and PhD, Music in Cuba and the Diaspora
Hello, I am Snezhina.
I explore how sound shapes and reveals the social and economic transformations in contemporary contexts.
I am an interdisciplinary researcher and creative professional working at the intersection of sound, space, and economy in Cuba and the wider global peripheries. Combining ethnomusicology, urban anthropology, and political economy, my work examines how music, identity, and urban survival evolve under conditions of crisis and transition.
I hold a PhD in Ethnomusicology from Royal Holloway, University of London, funded by a Postgraduate Research College Studentship. My thesis, Sounds, Space and Socioeconomics: Changes in Cuban Music in Havana and London (2010–2022), offered a transnational comparison between two cities with no shared colonial or linguistic history, yet increasingly connected through digital and cultural flows. It was the first study to document the emergence of a distinct Cuban cultural scene in London, separate from the broader Latin community.
I have conducted over a decade of fieldwork in Havana, including collaboration with the Cuban Rap Agency (Ministry of Culture), where I co-produced digital events, the first online International Symposium of Cuban Hip-Hop, and the documentary Prohibido Olvidar. I previously trained in politics, economics, and diplomacy at SOAS, University of London (MA in International Studies and Diplomacy, Distinction), bringing a cross-disciplinary perspective to the study of music and society.
Fluent in English, Spanish (as spoken in Cuba), and Bulgarian, I work across politically complex and cross-cultural contexts. My research has been presented internationally and spans academic, media, and artistic platforms. Through publications, public engagement, and curatorial work, I bring together scholarship and creative practice to illuminate the role of sound in shaping everyday resilience.
My current research explores how digital circulation and diasporic creativity reconfigure music, identity, and meaning across Havana, Miami, and beyond.