Call for Papers: Popular Music and Violent Conflict
Popular Music History Special Issue for November 2025
The twenty-first century is defined by numerous wars. Unlike the large-scale global conflicts of the 20th century, today’s wars are predominantly localized. More broadly, conflicts shape lives politically, socially, and privately. Popular music has always played a dual role in such contexts: it has been used to mobilize masses for war while also serving as a medium for resistance. Anti-war songs are plentiful, ranging from the Italian “Bella ciao,” through the pacifist anthems of the Vietnam War era, to modern examples of resistance during the Intifada. As long as violent conflict has existed, so too have songs of resistance, such as “Biladi biladi” (“O my country!”) from Egypt's 1919 revolution, or “Min djibalina” (“From our mountains”), opposing colonization.
Pro-war songs, while less common, do exist, particularly in forms that encourage or inspire soldiers. A distinct category includes anti-war songs often misinterpreted as patriotic, such as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Another group comprises acts that focus their entire repertoire on historical events and wartime heroism, as exemplified by the Swedish metal band Sabaton.
War is also closely tied to migration, as displaced communities bring their cultural heritage, including music, to new places. These migrations can foster closer cultural bonds among communities, whether in foreign lands or domestically, while simultaneously generating new forms of popular music born from displacement.
Armed conflicts disrupt both physical and virtual connections. Access to social media and the internet becomes uncertain, with communication lines severed. However, history shows that new modes of connection and musicking emerge during such disruptions. Collective and personal memories play a significant role in shaping collective emotions and delineating the boundaries between allies and adversaries.
Popular Music History invites contributions for a special issue examining the role of music in the context of war, focusing on how music portrays, critiques, or supports conflict. Submissions may address any armed conflict in history and its relation to popular music. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- The role of war songs
- Popular music as a means of fostering community during war
- The impact of war on migrants and their music
- Popular music as a tool of manipulation
- Music in marching and combat
- Resistance through popular music
- Narratives of war and peace in popular music
- Online music consumption during wartime
- Nationalism in the history of popular music
- The intersection of popular music genres and war
- Warfare and popular music
- The popular music business during armed conflicts
The proposed timeline for the publication process is as follows:
31.01.2025: Deadline for submitting extended abstracts (feedback on abstracts will be provided within 10 days; authors may skip this step and submit full papers by the end of May 2025; if you wish to submit abstract, please sent it to: b.peter [ at ] rug.nl and patryk.galuszka [at] uni.lodz.pl)
31.05.2025: Deadline for submitting full manuscripts (please submit your paper via journal’s submission system)
31.08.2025: Editorial decisions sent to authors for revisions
31.10.2025: Deadline for submitting revised papers
30.11.2025: Special issue published.
