Rhythm and Statecraft, The Evolution of Percussion from an Instrument of Military Force to a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy

“Diplomacy, in order for it to be successful, depends heavily on communication. Traditionally, we think of that communication as taking place through the means of spoken language. When applied correctly, language can protect against an outbreak of war, yet when it fails, language may also launch it. Similarly, throughout history, music has operated alongside spoken language as a means of both conducting and preventing conflict. In this thesis, I explore whether war, diplomacy, and music have shared an inextricable link throughout the past centuries, and if so, how the link has expanded and evolved into modern day soft-diplomacy. I also aim to identify the broad period of transformation of music, percussion specifically, from a means of hard power on the battlefield during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, to a tool of soft power employed by the United States and other nations during World War I, II, the Cold War and in 21st century foreign policy. This thesis also looks to identify current power dynamics of the 21st century as they are defined by the information revolution, ongoing technological developments, and globalization.