Emotions

The construction, popularisation and expression of emotions play a central role in peacebuilding pursuits, as well as the international and domestic conflicts they aim to address. The discourse surrounding peacebuilding is inherently emotion-laden, depending upon notions of hope, empathy and compassion (not to mention ‘peace’ itself). Relatedly, emotions such as fear, anger, solidaristic pride and disgust circulate freely during times of conflict. Because emotions are paramount in both musical practice and peacebuilding contexts, cross-cultural projects that aim to develop (or research) emotions must be informed by the ways the conceptualisation of various emotions is often culturally and historically bound.