INSTRUMENTS OF WAR: The Political Significance of Public Concerts at Trg Republike, Belgrade During the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia

There is a decisively limited amount of attention paid in English scholarship towards the lived experience of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia by the citizens of Belgrade. Even more so, there is a very little amount of scholarly examination of the series of concerts held by the city council of Belgrade in response to the bombings, titled “Song Has Kept Us” (Pesma Nas Je Održala), and the intriguing manner in which they contributed to the political landscape of Yugoslavia under the Milošević era. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature to highlight the value of cultural production to Slobodan Milošević’s regime by uncovering the fascinating way in which stylistic and sonic choices regarding the concerts and the historical context in which the concerts took shape helped produce a desired political meaning and identity that benefited the state. I will argue that these concerts were organized in such a way to promote unity and nationalism amongst the Yugoslavian people...Show moreThere is a decisively limited amount of attention paid in English scholarship towards the lived experience of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia by the citizens of Belgrade. Even more so, there is a very little amount of scholarly examination of the series of concerts held by the city council of Belgrade in response to the bombings, titled “Song Has Kept Us” (Pesma Nas Je Održala), and the intriguing manner in which they contributed to the political landscape of Yugoslavia under the Milošević era. This thesis aims to address this gap in the literature to highlight the value of cultural production to Slobodan Milošević’s regime by uncovering the fascinating way in which stylistic and sonic choices regarding the concerts and the historical context in which the concerts took shape helped produce a desired political meaning and identity that benefited the state. I will argue that these concerts were organized in such a way to promote unity and nationalism amongst the Yugoslavian people, cultivate resistance against NATO forces, and advance a historical narrative that depicted Yugoslavia (or Serbs) as the innocent and just victims of aggression despite strong (Western) criticism of military and police violence in Kosovo and, previously, the Yugoslav wars. It appears convincing that the political outcomes of the concerts were meant to directly or indirectly contribute to upholding state hegemony in Yugoslavia. The series of concerts are discussed within the context of Belgrade as an arena of sonic warfare, wherein the concerts counteracted NATO sonic booms that were meant to weaken morale and induce fear. Although the relationship of music to politics is traditionally recognized for music’s utility as a method of resistance against the political status quo, the series of concerts illustrate how these same qualities can be utilized by the state to maintain support whilst uplifting the people. The case will hence illustrate how state-organized concerts can act as a powerful political weapon amid international conflict.Show less

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INSTRUMENTS OF WAR: The Political Significance of Public Concerts at Trg Republike, Belgrade During the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia