Brief description:

 

The digital exhibition project “Music, Conflict and Forced Migration” examines and presents research material gathered at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) since the early 1990s, considering the roles that music plays in the lives of those displaced due to political conflict and violence.

The project builds on three case studies of forced migration caused by: the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995) following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Syrian Civil War and the armed conflict in the wake of the 2011 uprising, and the decades long political instability and wars in Afghanistan. These are three distinct case studies from specific historical, political, and cultural milieus, yet music played an important role throughout. Music was important in transit, through the arduous and often inhumane process of resettlement, and after arrival, particularly in the formation of diasporic networks of belonging.

The digital exhibition will draw on the rich materials gathered over the past 35 years in the Archive of the Department of Folk Music Research and Ethnomusicology, including photographs, video and audio recordings, concert programs, and posters. Publications and other sources will be incorporated to illustrate changing analytical perspectives and evolving research questions related to music in these contexts. Crucially, the project also involves individuals who were themselves affected by these conflicts, whose perspectives will help to reflect on and contextualize the archival material.

Since the early 1990s the mdw has been a forerunner in broadening the scope of ethnomusicological research, considering the communities that came to Austria as a result of war and displacement. This project reflects on over thirty years of research, ensuring the long-term visibility of those affected by conflicts, the rich musical materials that were documented, as well as offering a lens on developments in the field of ethnomusicology during this time period.