Music and Music Making are Ubiquitous in War

Music and music making are ubiquitous in war. Why? Music is omnipresent in war because it can be used to help both attackers and victims deal with the physical and psychological trauma of war. Music, while not inherently “good”, can be used for healing. War requires an altered state of being, and music allows soldiers to alter their state of mind. War is not natural, because killing people is not natural, so music is needed in war. Why is the relationship of music and rights in the experience and enactment of war so complex? The relationship of music and rights during war is that music becomes a tool for the oppressor to express dominance, and so the music of the oppressor becomes a symbol of the repression of rights for the dominated person. How does music operate on both “sides” of war and among combatants and noncombatants alike? It can be used to create a feeling of normalcy, and to recreate feelings of “home” for both soldiers and refugees. How do soldiers cope with physical and psychological trauma through music? Music making allows soldiers to create an identity for themselves outside of their uniform and their ever-present identity as servicemen and women of the army. Listening to music which reflects their everyday experiences, such as violent music of music of conflict and destruction, allows them to feel like somebody understands what they are going through. The trauma of feeling like no one at home can understand their experiences is difficult for soldiers to deal with, and listening to music lets soldiers feel understood. Is music humanizing or dehumanizing in war? If the music is being used by soldiers to deal with the physical and or psychological effects, then it is dehumanizing, because it is being used to manipulate and dampen human emotions which would normally hinder the soldier’s ability to commit acts of war. However, the creation of music by soldiers in war provides an outlet for the humanity of the soldiers. They can’t keep all their human emotions contained, because then they would go crazy. Music making in war is an expression of humanity, whereas listening to music and playing music as a tool of war is generally dehumanizing. Thesis: The unique nature of war demands that participants dehumanize their victims and modify their own personas, in order to cope with the trauma of committing acts of violence. Music becomes ubiquitous is wartime because of its varied abilities: it can manipulate the listener’s state of mind, dehumanize a target, heal a trauma victim, and express personal feelings. For soldiers of the Iraq war, we see how individual soldiers use music to dehumanize their targets as well as to express their own humanity. Songs like “Enter Sandman” and other violent, heavy metal musics prepare soldiers for battle by putting them in a frame of mind to commit violent acts which they would not be as inclined to perform in a normal state of mind. By listening to such music before going into battle, the soldiers allow themselves to occupy the psychological space of the music: they can take on the persona of the angry singer, and reduce their very real targets to abstracted characters in a song. The music acts as a shield against the soldiers’ consciences, which may react badly to the violence the soldiers are carrying out. Off of the battlefield, the soldiers use music making to express their own humanity. The feelings of confusion, disillusionment, doubt, and guilt which they use music to repress on the battle field are given voice in the soldiers’ spare time. This expression is an important means of retaining their identity. During war, soldiers are reduced to pawns in a larger cause, and because they are continually in uniform and under the command of a higher authority, their identity can become compromised. They need music to keep their personal identity from being lost. Just as listening to music can make soldiers feel that there is someone who understands what they re dealing with, creating their own music allows them to give a voice to their own experiences, in a situation where they often feel voiceless. In looking at Afghan refugees making music in Peshawar, we continue to see music as a tool for recreating the feelings of home and normalcy. The experience of Afghan musicians illustrates the complex relationship between music and rights in times of war.