Music and the Myth of Universality

Sounding Human Rights and Capabilities

Bibliographic Data

ID12930542
AuthorsNirav Dave (University of Virginia, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume7
Issue1
Pages1-17
Publication date2014-12-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Human Rights Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1757-9619 • E-ISSN: 1757-9627
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/jhuman/huu025
OpenAlexW2086683721
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited9

This article interrogates prevalent romanticized understandings of music's role in human rights, and suggests new theoretical and practical approaches that foreground questions of efficacy and impact. Music is often described as a ‘universal language’, a notion that suggests that music is both inherently progressive and able to transcend cultural differences. I argue instead for a more complex, constrained view of music and its role in human rights, with a greater emphasis on methods and practice. Based in part on my research and observations in West Africa, I describe and critique common uses of music in human rights and development projects, and outline suggestions for more focused and effective projects. I also suggest conceptualizing music within the capabilities framework, as set out by Sen and Nussbaum. In so doing, the aim of this article is to stimulate new discussion on how music can protect and promote human rights and human capabilities

Aesthetics · Art · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Human rights · Literature · Musicology · Mythology · Pedagogy · Political science · Set (abstract data type · Sociology · Universality (dynamical systems · Computer Science · Development, Ethics, and Society · Diverse Musicological Studies · South African History and Culture · Law · Philosophy

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