Music and International Relations

Abstract

My purpose in this chapter is twofold. First, I shall outline several social processes illustrative of the important role music plays in international relations and cite examples of each drawn from the literature in the history and sociology of music. Second, I shall sketch a theoretical framework in which the interface of music and international relations can be analyzed and suggest considerations for melding aspects of music and international relations in the future. The list of social processes developed by the sociologist Henry Zentner provides a useful perspective from which to view music and international relations. In particular, seven processes are of interest, namely, image preservation, loyalty maintenance, personification, socialization, information exchange, cooperation and competition. While there is no claim for exhaustiveness in this list, it does illustrate the variety of ways in which music contributes to, and is affected by, international relations.