Soundtracks of Poverty and Development: Music, Emotions and Representations of the Global South

John D. Cameron (), Emmanuel Solomon () and William Clarke ()
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John D. Cameron: Dalhousie University
Emmanuel Solomon: Dalhousie University
William Clarke: Dalhousie University

The European Journal of Development Research, 2022, vol. 34, issue 2, No 8, 785-805

Abstract: Abstract Despite the strategic use of music and sound in the marketing of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), analysis of representations of global poverty and development has focussed almost exclusively on images, video and text. Drawing on research in the fields of psychology, marketing and music theory, this article argues that analysis of representations of global poverty and development must include rigorous analysis of music and sound. The article examines the soundtracks of fundraising videos produced by NGOs based in the UK, the USA and Canada to address questions about the ways that music structure and sound create emotional narratives about poverty and development. Analysis reveals how music is used to shape emotional responses to NGO appeals and reinforces persistent stereotypes about the global South as sad and frightening and the global North as the source of agency to solve problems of global poverty.

Keywords: Music; Emotions; NGOs; Representations of development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00385-1

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