Instruments de polyphonie. Les festivals de musique comme politique en Europe

These de Bachelor de l'annee 2011 dans le domaine Politique - Politique internationale - Sujet: Union europeenne, note: 1, langue: Francais, resume The utility of music tends to be undervalued by states. To examine this topic, I focused on the potential for shared musical experiences to reinforce national identities and bolster intercultural dialogue. In exploring music policy, I looked at the consequences and dynamics of music’s potential to unify people under political communities in the collective setting of festivals, particularly La Fete de la Musique in France. This project also examines two other important music festivals: European Music Day in Greece and The Varna Music Festival in Bulgaria. These cases illustrate the utility of national music festivals in reaching individuals at a personal level, especially when they emphasize individual creativity and participation; these interactive musical experiences can then be connected to a single, macrocosmic source where they are institutionalized. Moreover, music’s unique ability to communicate ideas and emotions across linguistic barriers creates linkages that transcend the nation. I then took these analyses of national music festivals to the European level. Along with the potential replication of the benefits of national music festivals, a European music festival would be able to strengthen the idea of unity of diversity of citizens under the European Union. My project suggests that public music festivals can serve not only as forms of entertainment but also as potential tools for adapting political identities to the current social context within the global system.