International Conference : Music, Invisibility, Vulnerability, and Political Participation

Hosted by the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de l’Environnement (MSHE) in Besançon on 19-20 October 2026, this international conference brings together researchers from across Europe to explore how music can reveal invisibility, express vulnerability, and foster new forms of political participation.

Organized within the framework of the “LaSiDo: Politics in Music” research project, the event is supported by the STARS EU Alliance and the ELLIADD Research Unit.

 

How does music shape political engagement in contemporary societies? In what ways can songs, performances, remixes, and digital musical practices give visibility to marginalized voices and create spaces for collective action?

The international conference “Music, Invisibility, Vulnerability, and Political Participation” seeks to address these questions through an interdisciplinary dialogue bringing together scholars working in media studies, political communication, sociology, cultural studies, musicology, gender studies, and digital cultures.

Organized as part of the research project LaSiDo: Politics in Music, the conference explores how music has become a powerful medium for civic expression, identity affirmation, protest, and social engagement in the digital era. Beyond artistic expression, music increasingly operates as a space where political tensions, collective emotions, and social inequalities are negotiated and made audible.
From feminist and anti-racist struggles to environmental activism and debates surrounding artificial intelligence, musical practices today play a central role in making visible experiences that are often ignored or silenced in dominant public discourse. Through concerts, social media platforms, streaming services, memes, music videos, and participatory digital cultures, music circulates across borders and communities, shaping new forms of political participation and collective belonging.

The conference will examine how music can both challenge and reproduce systems of domination, discrimination, and exclusion. It will also investigate the role of media environments, platforms, and algorithmic logics in amplifying — or limiting — the visibility of politically engaged music.
Particular attention will be paid to the following six thematic areas:
* Music, identities and gender
Exploring the relationships between music, vulnerability, feminism, queer identities, masculinity, and visibility.
* Music and the political construction of territories
Examining how music shapes territorial identities, collective memory, and representations of places and communities.
* Music, propaganda, and discriminatory discourse
Investigating the ideological uses of music, emotional mobilization, and the spread or contestation of hateful discourse.
* Music and environmental activism
Focusing on eco-conscious artistic practices, climate activism, and ecological imaginaries in contemporary music cultures.
* Music, ethics and health
Addressing music as a practice of care, inclusion, well-being, and social justice in vulnerable contexts.
* Media literacy, AI and music technologies
Reflecting on algorithmic cultures, digital music practices, artificial intelligence, and the ethical challenges of contemporary media environments.

 

The conference will take place on-site only at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de l’Environnement (MSHE) of Marie and Louis Pasteur University, Besançon, France, on 19-20 October 2026.
Researchers interested in presenting are invited to submit a one-page abstract accompanied by a short bio-bibliographical note no later than 30 June 2026. Proposals should clearly outline the research question, theoretical framework, and connection to one of the conference themes.
Selected presentations will be delivered in a 20-minute oral format, followed by discussion sessions. Conference proceedings will later be published in order to extend the collective reflection initiated during the event.

 

Key dates
* 15 May 2026 – Publication of the call for papers
* 30 June 2026 – Submission deadline
* 15 July 2026 – Notification of acceptance/rejection

 

Submission information
Proposals should be sent to:
 justine.simon@dynamots.fr
For more information about the LaSiDo: Politics in Music project: LaSiDo Project Page