Funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program

Marie-Hélène Benoit-Otis, chairholder

Music is often used for political purposes. It may for example play the role of propaganda tool manipulated by the authorities, or conversely serve as an element of resistance argued for by listeners and/or musicians. The goal of this research program is to understand more fully how and why music can be used to support political discourse that varies greatly from one place and epoch to another; its aim, ultimately, is to reveal a typology of the different political roles that music and musicians can play in the City, and more particularly in present-day societies.

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