Belief in the Power of Music and Resilient Identities: Navigating Shared Fictions
Author(s):
Craig Robertson
Publication Year:
2019
Type:
journal article
Journal/Book Title
Music and Arts in Action
Publisher
Editor(s):
Pages:
113-126
Volume:
7
Issue:
1
Abstract:
When group identities are collectively believed in, groups tend to behave collectively (Scheitle, Corcoran and Halligan, 2018). This means that group identity can lead to group cohesion and vice versa. Music is one social activity that has the potential to strengthen this process, creating a more resilient identity for practitioners. Ultimately, however, resilience is based on what the group believes, rather than what is empirically evident and thus, it could be considered a type of fiction. According to Harari (2015), collective belief in fictions is necessary for collective cooperation beyond small, personal social groups. This article attempts to illustrate how music can afford increased resilience of group identity through the shared belief in its own agency and how music therapy might provide an even more specifically useful approach in this context.
Citation (Chicago Author-Date):
Robertson, Craig. 2019. “Belief in the Power of Music and Resilient Identities: Navigating Shared Fictions.” Music and Arts in Action 7 (1): 113–26. https://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/206/195.