Politics in a different key: popular music and changing modes of political participation

© 2012 Dr. Alexander Samuel KaiserContemporary popular musicians are often accused of being apolitical. This thesis takes the claims regarding the political apathy of contemporary popular musicians as the starting point for an analysis of the relationship between politics in popular music and contemporary political participation. The 1960s feature prominently as a point of comparison for negative appraisals of contemporary popular music. This thesis argues that nostalgic representations of this era have created and sustained an exaggerated image of political activism in this time. The analysis of the influence of the 1960s highlights the need to consider contemporary political music within the context of contemporary political participation. The prevailing view of contemporary politics tends to focus on the decline of traditional forms of political and civic participation. However, this perception has been challenged by some scholars who argue that rather than declining in a direct and uncomplicated manner, contemporary forms of political participation are changing in response to broader social and political changes. Examples include the growing role of information and communication technologies in contemporary politics and the role of ‘entertaining politics’ in providing alternative perspectives on, and pathways into, politics in contemporary Western democracies. The opening chapters of the thesis draw attention to the way in which different definitions of ‘the political’ set the terms for debates about what constitutes legitimate political participation. These widely varying definitions consequently frame judgements about the extent of political engagement in contemporary popular music and the state of contemporary political participation in Western democracies more broadly. This thesis presents an in-depth case study of Australian band The Herd. The case study employs a multidimensional research strategy that includes a context analysis, music analysis and audience analysis. This case study highlights the range of approaches that The Herd takes to political issues and demonstrates the multilateral style of political communication in the band’s music. It also studies The Herd’s interaction with its audience through an analysis of the Elefant Traks discussion forum, an online discussion forum that operated on The Herd’s record label website. The study of The Herd’s political music highlights the links between the band’s style of political engagement and newer forms of political participation. This style of political music is different to that of some celebrated examples of political music from previous eras, but its significance can be seen when examined within the context of contemporary political participation