This presentation examines the role of music to inspire patriotism in the war-torn post-Soviet region. Out of the many popular genres in the post-Soviet world, it is hip hop that powerfully articulates ongoing conflicts by providing affective narratives. Relying on ethnographic research, I discuss how specific hip-hop singles contribute to mobilizing populations in Azerbaijan and Ukraine during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, respectively. Rap artists in both Azerbaijan and Ukraine capitalize on the genre’s central feature to represent (Cutler 2007; Decker 1993) and include symbols and ideas from local histories of conflict that become highly affective. More specifically, names of famous martyrs in Azerbaijani hip hop and mentions of attacked regions in Ukrainian hip hop become central themes that narrativize the conflict and provide meanings for local hermeneutics about “truth.” In this paper, I also highlight the importance of hip hop as a genre for younger generations in the unstable post-socialist space (Miszczmynski and Helbig 2017). In its message of truth also lies hope, as the fissures of the present-day social reality provoke reimagination of the future. This kind of mission has been highlighted by many local hip hop artists who describe their creativity as a vehicle toward not just representing but leading to change. Becoming highly inspirational at the grassroots level, hip hop shows a promise for a better future to the youth thrown into the abyss of war and conflict.

Authors:
Polina Dessiatnitchenko, Waseda University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Polina Dessiatnitchenko is currently Assistant Professor at the School of International and Liberal Studies, Waseda University, Japan, and co-investigator in a ERC/UKRI funded project titled MAQAM.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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