Music, Power, and Conflict: Perspectives from Ethnomusicology and the Anthropology of Music 

Convened by Stephen Millar, and featuring a expert practitioners from the field, this module is less concerned about the ‘notes on the page’. Instead, it focuses on music as a social and cultural practice, as a site of contestation, and a source for ways of (re)imagining, (re)conceptualising and (re)organising society. The module uses music as a window into the lives of others (and ourselves), which helps us understand different social, cultural, and political agendas and the issues that matter most to people in society. In so doing, we grapple with a range of questions, including: how does music reflect the cultures that produce it? Can music play a role in conflict transformation? Should some music be banned? Our classes engage with diverse case studies such as: western classical music and the legacy of white supremacy; nationalism and identity politics in the Eurovision song contest; soundscapes of torture and detainment; and rap, censorship, and moral panic.  

Below: DJ and CEO of Bounce Culture and SoLab Kwame Daniels presents his work on music and social justice in Northern Ireland.