Protest Music in Comparative Perspective

In this course we will examine how marginalized populations around the world use music to interpret, explain, and respond to political, racial, socioeconomic, and gendered inequities. Because music is produced for a wide audience, it is important for the construction of group identity and a useful means of protest. We will discuss the domestic politics of countries such as Nigeria, Jamaica, the U.S., and Brazil by reading the literature of comparative politics, sociology, and critical race and gender theory. Our discussion of these topics will help us better understand how power in various forms is used to repress, and how music challenges existing hegemonies. (Comparative Politics)