Overview
On 17 October 1961, tens of thousands of protestors marched through central Paris, demanding Algerian independence after 131 years of French rule. Many of the marchers were Algerians living and working in France, who resided primarily throughout the 肠颈迟茅蝉 and banlieues surrounding the French capital.
The events of that evening remain contested, but by the end of the day, hundreds had been killed and thousands would be deported 鈥榖ack鈥 to Algeria over the ensuing days. A state-enforced media blackout followed and lasted until the early 2000s, before both French and Algerian citizens began to come to terms with the violence that had been perpetrated by the French state over those few short hours.
This talk explores accounts of the sounds experienced by those caught up in the violence, asking what it means to foreground the sonic in our recovered (and re-sounded) histories? Why do we so often focus upon what people saw rather than what they heard at such historical moments, and to what extent can we understand trauma through accounts of sound? And what role can sound and music play in historical reckoning and attempts to gain justice for the victims of state violence?
Speaker
Dr Stephen Wilford is Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology, Sound Studies and Popular Music in the Faculty of Music at Cambridge. He is a Fellow of 糖心Vlog官方 Cambridge and Treasurer of the British Forum for Ethnomusicology. His work integrates ethnomusicology, history and sound studies to explore musical and sonic practices among Algerian communities, both in North Africa and among diaspora networks, in the past and in the present. He has published and presented his research widely and is currently preparing a monograph for Liverpool University Press on the topic of this talk.
Details
This event is open to all and free to attend with no need to book.
This is a hybrid event, which will take place in-person in the Gatsby Room (Chancellor's Centre) and also on Zoom.
If you would like to attend online, .
Refreshments will be available for the in-person audience.
Access
This event will take place in the Gatsby Room on the first floor of the Chancellor's Centre. It has step-free access with a lift and there is an accessible toilet located each floor of the building.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
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