School of Music, Theatre and Art

Call for Papers

Music and Politics

What might be the role of music and music research in the formation of a more sustainable society in seeking to address the challenges of war, climate change, and populism? In the present day, Swedish music life is affected by shifting governmental policies. How does music research address these perspectives, challenges and concerns? At the same time, governmental research policies are being revised and reviewed. How are our research disciplines and institutions affected? Possible nodes of connection between music and politics can be found at any end of the spectrum, between the global and the local, across individual and institutional perspectives. The conference seeks to address these perspectives across music research disciplines, and with a specially invited panel of actors in music institutions, research and cultural policy. 

In this strand in the call for papers, thematic approaches may include, but are not limited to, any of the following perspectives:

  • music as a form for political expression, e.g. music and activism, populism, identity, musical diplomacy
  • music policy (in Sweden and abroad)
  • contexts and discourses: historical and sociological perspectives
  • inclusion, intersectionality, diversity and decolonialisation.

Peer review
The Swedish Society for Music Research (SSM) will perform a peer review of submitted abstracts. The society’s journal, SJM, is creating a section in this year’s issue related to the conference’s main theme. SJM encourages all those presenting to develop their conference papers into articles for submission to the journal for separate peer review and potential publication.

Keynote
This year's conference has two keynotes: David Hebert and Melanie Schiller.

David Hebert: Music Diplomacy Amid Populism and Protectionism
David G. Hebert is a Professor with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen. He is also an Honorary Professor with the Education University of Hong Kong and Affiliated Professor with University of the Faroe Islands and Kyambogo University (Uganda). He is a member of the Executive committee and Board of the International Society for Music Education, Chair-elect of the Historical Ethnomusicology section of SEM, and has grant-funded projects in Uganda and China. With a special interest in Indigenous peoples, he previously worked as Head of Music for a Maori college and is now part of a major research project on Sami music. He is also author or editor of 11 books, with articles in over 30 different journals. Recently, he especially writes about music and AI, decolonization, cultural diplomacy and sustainability.

Melanie Schiller: The Politics of Heroic Averageness: Populism and Music in Sweden
Melanie Schiller is Professor of Contemporary Media Cultures at Radbound University. The title of her presentation is to be determined but will relate to the theme of Music and Politics.

Language
The main languages of the conference are Swedish and English. Presentations can also be made in Danish and Norwegian.

Presentation formats and duration

Conference contributions can be presented in one of the following formats: traditional paper, lecture-recital, panel, paired papers, video essay/audio paper, or poster.

  • Time: 20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions and comments.
  • Undergraduate and Master or Magister-level graduate students are also invited to present finished thesis projects (10 minutes + 5 minutes for questions and comments). Supervisors are kindly asked to advise students of this opportunity.
  • Time: 20–40 minutes + 10 minutes for questions and comments. The conference committee will allocate time depending on the scope of the overall conference programme.
  • An oral presentation that integrates a practical demonstration or music performance. The demonstration or performance must be an integral part of the presentation and not merely serve as an illustration.
  • The lecture-recital format is open to researchers and students from all fields of music research. 

 

  • Time: 30 minutes + 10 minutes for questions and comments.
  • A group of at least three researchers who present and discuss a shared project or research topic. 
  • Time: 15 minutes per paper + 20 minutes for discussion.
  • Two papers approaching the same problem or subject from different angles, followed by discussion. 
  • A separate abstract for each paper is required, as well as a short description of how they are related.
  • Time: The audio or video file should be 15– 20 minutes and will be followed by a discussion of 10–15 minutes (30 mins is the framework).
  • A video or audio production that includes an academic argument or question that is expressed in words, images and/or sound. 

Abstract

Please submit your abstract to: konferens@musikforskning.se no later than February 14th, 2025. The abstract must contain:

  • The title of your presentation
  • A concise summary of the presentation (maximum 300 words) including research question(s), theory, method, results, and conclusions. (Reference lists are not requested.)
  • The format of your presentation. (Traditional paper, lecture-recital, panel, paired papers, or video essay/audio paper.
  • Technology or equipment requirements other than a projector and sound system.
  • Each participant’s name and institutional affiliation (if applicable)
  • Contact information for the presenter or group coordinator.
  • Please name the file “surname_first name”

Presentations will be selected based on their scholarly or artistic quality, scientific relevance and originality. The outcomes of the peer review will be communicated by February 24th, 2025 at the latest.