Speaker's Series Feb. 14

Friday, February 14, 2020 - 15:00

Centre for Research in Reasoning, Argumentation & Rhetoric along with the PhD in Argumentation Studies at the University of Windsor invite you to a talk by

 

Lyndon Way

Communication and Media, University of Liverpool

 

Discourse, Music and Politics: A Critical Approach

 

Abstract: Political communication is expressed in politicians’ speeches, campaign advertisements and government statements. It is also articulated in music ranging from national anthems to pop songs. There is a wide spectrum of opinions as to exactly what are relations between music and politics, though most scholars acknowledge it can communicate meanings, though again, what these are remains contentious. There is also a great deal of diversity in terms of what approach is best in understanding how music communicates with us. Though some believe meanings can be extracted from ‘the score’, others believe it is a matter of how music is a part of our ‘lived experiences’. One approach that incorporates many of these ideas is analysing music in context through the prism of discourses analysis.

In this presentation, I argue for a musicology-informed multimodal critical discourse analysis of musical artefacts, whether these be songs, promotional videos, live performances, political advertisements and/ or online musical mash ups. Such an approach acknowledges the importance of modes, such as lyrics, musical sounds and imagery, but also the importance of context. Armed with this approach, I then analyse a sample of musical artefacts to demonstrate how this approach is useful in revealing not only what is being communicated, but also how this is done.


Friday, February 14, 2020

3:00pm

Chrysler Hall North, 1163

All are welcome

 

(519)253-3000