From 'Alternative' to 'Trance': The Role of Music in Facilitating Political Group Activity and Activism

• In Event: Soldiers, Surveillance, and Music in Times of War

Abstract

This exploratory study examined the impact of music use on on-campus political group membership activities and political activism. Exposure to different genres of music both positively (Christian rock and alternative music) and negatively (pop and rock) predicted political group membership activities. Political group membership activities, in turn, positively predicted political activism. Further, exposure to different genres of music both positively (alternative, rap, and trance) and negatively (rock, pop, and techno) predicted political activism.

Authors

• James Belcher, Kent State University

• Paul Haridakis, Kent State University