The Politics of Music

This two-day public discursive programme looks at how political dynamics permeate through and affect music and the spaces which it creates. The opening day is devoted to discussions of music as a form of conquest. Speakers explore the role music plays in the formation of national identity, music as an instrument of torture, and the relationship between domination and appropriation in the practice of sampling. The day closes with a performative reading of Maan Abu Taleb’s The Congress, reimagining the first Congress of Arab Music, in Cairo in 1932. The theme of the second day is music as a space of resistance. Topics include the use of music as a testimony against police violence; music and noise music; and the potential for music to redraw boundaries and move beyond the dichotomy between mainstream and margins. The Politics of Music will be presented by speakers from different disciplines, including scholars and artists, some of whom are presenting projects during the festival. The programme encompasses multiple formats – panel, keynote, listening session, screening, performative reading, and more – and can be experienced live in KANAL-Centre Pompidou / K1 or via Radio AlHara. The Politics of Music is not simply a reflection on music, rather it looks at music as a form of thought, to be experienced collectively.

In the framework of Free School
Workshop A Music School

Music as a Space of Conquest & Domination

Music as a Space of Resistance & Liberation

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