Listening to War: Sound, Music, Trauma, and Survival in Wartime Iraq

Listening to War is a groundbreaking study of the centrality of listening to the experience of modern warfare. It explores how U.S. military service members and Iraqi civilians learned to extract valuable information from the ambient soundscape while struggling with the deleterious effects of it. The book theorizes violence through the prism of sound and sound through the prism of violence, providing a new vantage point for examining these phenomena. Two chapters dedicated to wartime music in Iraqi and U.S. military contexts show how music was both an important instrument of the military campaign and the victim of violent acts.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 360 pages
\n Publication date: 22 October 2020
\n Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
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To truly understand the complexities of war, it is essential to not only witness its physical manifestations but also to engage with its auditory aspects. Listening to War: Sound, Music, Trauma, and Survival in Wartime Iraq is a groundbreaking study that delves into the profound impact of listening to the experiences of modern warfare. Through extensive ethnographic interviews with U.S. military service members and Iraqi civilians, as well as firsthand observations of the war-torn country, author J. Martin Daughtry sheds light on how these populations have learned to extract valuable information from the ever-changing soundscape while grappling with the detrimental effects it has on their ears, bodies, and minds.

Daughtry's analysis explores the dual-edged nature of sound, recognizing its potential as a source of information and a catalyst for trauma. He employs a sophisticated conceptual framework that emphasizes the emotional power of sound and the agency of individual auditors. By theorizing violence through the lens of sound and sound through the lens of violence, Daughtry offers a fresh perspective on these intertwined phenomena.

Two chapters dedicated to wartime music in Iraqi and U.S. military contexts further illustrate the multifaceted role of music during conflict. On the one hand, music served as an important tool in the military campaign, providing motivation, cohesion, and a sense of identity to soldiers on both sides. However, it was also subjected to a multitude of violent acts, serving as a target for bombings, shootings, and other forms of destruction.

Listening to War is a landmark work that contributes significantly to the fields of conflict studies, sound studies, and ethnomusicology. It broadens our understanding of the experiences of armed violence and the broader phenomenon of sound. At the same time, it provides a poignant window into the lives of individual Iraqis and Americans navigating the treacherous terrain of war. Through their stories, we gain a deeper appreciation of the resilience, adaptability, and humanity of those caught in the midst of conflict.

\n Weight: 528g\n
Dimension: 156 x 233 x 25 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780190887834\n \n