Music and Conflict: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Abstract

This article offers a brief review of literature which demonstrates how interdisciplinary collaboration could help understand the role music plays in conflict situations. Research into the anthropology of armed conflict and into propaganda are two areas where the focus has only rarely covered music and musical activity. A number of concrete examples demonstrate how the use of music in conflict situations has implications for the justice system and policing. Recent studies into the potential of music to promote non-violent resolution of conflict are also reviewed, and in conclusion the authors note a number of other scientific disciplines -including music psychology and evolutionary musicology -that could provide further input into the issue of music and conflict research.keywords Music and propaganda, Music and confl ict, Music and war, Human rights, Music and confl ict transformation, Anthropology, Sociology of music, Music and incitement

Social distance and the multimodal construction of the Other in sectarian song

“…However, amongst the broader sweep of research on music and cultural conflict, there has been more specifically been some significant work done on the lyrics of songs and their effect on people's perception of social distance (Eveland et al 1999), the relationships between music and conflict (O'Connell and Castelo-Branco 2010), the relationship between social distance and music social media sharing (Tran et al 2011), anti-black racism in popular music (Mullen 2012), fascist music (Machin and Richardson 2012;Shaffer 2013), music and its use in contexts of war and torture (Pettan 1998;Grant et al 2010;Grant 2012) and in the UK and Irish contexts, work on religio-ethnic discrimination and prejudice in music (Fiddler 2014;Casserly 2013;Cooper 2010;Vallely 2014). In the Scottish context, which is the focus of this article, there has been a growth of research into sectarianism between Scottish Protestants and Catholics in recent times, 1 both in terms of the meta-statistical sociological analyses (Hinchliffe et al 2015;Justice Analytical Services 2013) and in terms of more focused ethnographic research (Goodall et al 2015).…”

Changes in the social fabric of victims of the armed conflict in Colombia based on an analysis of their sound environments

“…In this way the concepts of sound territories and territorialisation are merged (Alonso-Cambrón, 2014, 2016). Research on conflict and identity has made use of the study of sounds as a way of understanding topics such as relationships, trauma, survival, and resilience (e.g., Bergh & Sloboda, 2010; Daughtry, 2015; Grant et al, 2010; Lederach & Lederach, 2010; Rodríguez-Sánchez & Cabedo-Mas, 2017; Urbain, 2008; Wood, 2006). Drever (2007) explains the place – as an acoustic space – is the point where sound and culture meet.…”

Music and the politics of the past: Kizito Mihigo and music in the commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

“…There is no evidence that Bikindi himself instructed the radio to play his music or give it such interpretation, nor his exact intentions when he composed most of his songs before the genocide (McCoy, 2013: X). However, as the director of the Irindiro Ballet Company, the judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) noted in their sentencing that Bikindi was a celebrity, especially among pre-genocide Rwandan elites and that he used his influence to incite genocide through speech (Grant et al, 2010; Li, 2004; McCoy, 2013: 11). After a long trial at the ICTR that attracted international attention, especially from defenders of free speech, Bikindi was convicted and imprisoned for 15 years, not directly for his music but for speeches he made during the genocide (McCoy, 2013; Snyder, 2006).…”