This website is set up to present some information about my academic work, initially a PhD (completed 2010) at Exeter University, that was supervised by Tia DeNora on the topic of music and the role it can play in conflict resolution/transformation programmes. In this context "conflict" refers to the type of conflicts we've seen in the Balkans or Sri Lanka. (image © Cameron Allan 2005)

My PhD (supervised by Tia DeNora) was on the topic of music and the role it can play in conflict resolution/transformation programmes. In this context "conflict" refers to the type of conflicts we've seen in the Sudan for instance, although I use material from less violent conflicts as well.

The common-sense view is that music has attributes not found in other forms of human expression, and hence the power to move someone, the ability to touch them and open them up to new experiences, create bonds between disparate people(s).

For this reason it is often invoked in situations that relate to conflict and civic strife, but how does it really work? And is music simply used as a way of gathering like-minded people, in which case the unique properties of music has not been utilised, and it is no different than using sports or a particular hobby to link people up. Furthermore, most work on music use is linked to a western view of (consuming) music, as an audience (of one or more) listening to performances or recordings of music in a "music only" context, how does it work in a different context.

These concerns will be my focus as I draw on sociology, psychology, peace studies and ethnomusicology to build a theoretical framework by looking at how people use and are used by music, from the internal, highly private sphere of individual listening, to the generation and maintenance of social worlds through music events.

I did my fieldwork in Norway and Sudan, looking at projects that have utilised music for conflict resolution purposes to use as case studies for my empirical work. By studying very different countries with different types of conflict I hope to avoid any culturally specific traps.

My research interest lie in music as a resource in conflict situations, the role of music in a range of situations from the personal (psychology) to the social (sociology and cultural studies), the sociology of the peace research/practitioner community and interactions between parties in conflict resolution events.

For more on the research group at Exeter on music use in various circumstances go to our website SocArts