The power and danger of music in times of crisis

Frank Mehring, Professor of American Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen, will speak on Monday 7 March about the power and danger of music in times of war, violence and the fight for freedom. Using examples such as Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", the songs of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan to Barack Obama's moving intonation of "Amazing Grace", the lecture will show how music expresses collective pain, hope and resistance. The focus is on the role of music as a weapon of protest and an instrument of solidarity - especially in the context of the US civil rights movement, global anti-war movements and feminist art of action. The sound of resistance in the 21st century also becomes audible: for example in the shrill performances of Pussy Riot against Putin's repressive apparatus or in musical reactions to the authoritarian rhetoric of Trumpism. The lecture reflects on how protest music shapes public memory, organises opposition and can subversively undermine hegemonic narratives in times of social crisis. This is also a musical ray of hope on the horizon. Prof Mehring, who is speaking at the invitation of the Fontane Circle, will also pick up the guitar himself during the lecture and perform examples of songs. The musical lecture begins at 7.00 pm in the Geneindesaal of the Christuskirche, Schwartzstraße 4; admission is free, donations are requested.