For this Bridge Note, I would like to translate some of my ongoing research on Buddhism, peace, and the role of musical and narrative practices in shaping cultures of peace in Italy and Japan.

My work begins from a simple but often overlooked premise: peace is not only negotiated through political agreements or institutional frameworks, but also narrated, embodied, and ritualized in everyday cultural and religious practices. In both Italy and Japan, Buddhist communities have developed specific “narratives of peace”, stories, rituals, and commemorative practices that articulate what peace means, how suffering is understood, and how reconciliation is imagined. In Italy, where Buddhism is a minority tradition but increasingly present, peace narratives often intersect with interreligious dialogue and social engagement. Buddhist-inspired musical and meditative practices are sometimes integrated into public events focused on nonviolence, solidarity, and community care. Here, peace is narrated less through national trauma and more through relational ethics, compassion, interdependence, and the reduction of suffering in everyday life.

Music and chanting function as practices that cultivate inner transformation while simultaneously building collective identity. For practitioners in the Music in Peacebuilding (MinPB) field, one key translation I would propose is this: rather than viewing music primarily as a tool for delivering peace messages, we might understand it as a practice that shapes moral imagination. In both contexts, sound is not simply expressive, it is formative. Through repetition, shared rhythm, and embodied participation, musical-ritual practices create experiences of synchrony and co-presence that subtly reconfigure how individuals perceive themselves in relation to others.

Another important concept emerging from my research is the idea of “narrated peace”. Peace is sustained when it is told through stories, liturgies, commemorations, and artistic expressions that make ethical values audible and memorable. In this sense, musical practices are carriers of narrative. For practitioners, the implication is that collaboration with religious communities, including Buddhist ones, requires sensitivity to internal cosmologies and temporalities. By bringing these perspectives into dialogue with the MinPB field, I hope to encourage a broader understanding of how religious soundscapes and peace narratives function, not at the margins of peacebuilding, but as subtle yet powerful infrastructures of it.

One Italian term that I find particularly meaningful is “ascoltare”: listening. While “listening” may seem straightforward in English, in Italian scholarly and philosophical discourse ascoltare often carries a deeper, more relational meaning. It does not simply indicate the physiological act of hearing, but rather an ethical and intentional posture toward the other. Ascoltare implies openness, vulnerability, and a willingness to be transformed by what one hears.

This word is closely connected to another important Italian verb: “sentire”. At the same time, the verb sentire adds another layer. In Italian, sentire can mean to hear, but also to feel, emotionally, bodily, intuitively. It resonates with the expression “sentire con il cuore” (“to feel with the heart”). In the context of Music in Peacebuilding, this dimension is crucial: peace-oriented musical practices are not only about cognitive understanding, but about affective resonance, empathy, and embodied connection.

I would suggest grounding the work in a qualitative, listening-based and relational approach. My methodology draws from ethnography, reflective listening practices, and narrative analysis. It assumes that musical peace processes are relational and context-dependent, and therefore require time, trust, and attentiveness. I would suggest:

• Building contextual knowledge: understanding the cultural, religious, and historical background of the community before designing any intervention or evaluation.
• Integrating structured listening moments: creating space not only for performance, but for guided reflection and shared listening among participants.
• Collecting narratives: using interviews and, group conversations to document how participants describe their experiences in their own words.
• Evaluating processes: paying attention to changes in relationships, perceptions, and forms of interaction, rather than focusing exclusively on measurable outputs.

I do not have a very extensive or fixed reading list that I systematically recommend. However, there are a few texts that I often recall and that have been meaningful in shaping my thinking:

• Jon Bullock (2018), “Peacebuilding, Not Politics: Music and MESPO's Model for Changing the World.”
  
  This article is particularly valuable for its close engagement with a concrete case study. It shows how music initiatives can function beyond partisan political frameworks, offering instead relational and community-based models of change. I find it useful for understanding how musical practice can embody alternative social imaginaries.


• Kwesi Doddu (2024), “Harmonizing Peace: The Role of Music in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding During Elections in Ghana.”
  
  This work provides an important perspective on music in politically sensitive contexts, especially during electoral processes. It highlights how musical interventions can mitigate tensions and foster dialogue, while also acknowledging the fragility and complexity of such efforts.


• Susanna Pasticci (2001), Musica e religione.
  
  Although not directly framed within Music in Peacebuilding, this book has been influential for me in understanding the deep interconnections between music, ritual, belief systems, and collective identity. It offers conceptual tools that are essential when working in contexts where religion, memory, and sound are closely intertwined.

These readings reflect different dimensions of my interests: applied peace practice, political processes, and the cultural-symbolic layers of musical experience. While not exhaustive, they offer a starting point for engaging with the field from multiple angles.

Beyond these academic readings, I also find that many Aboriginal Australian songs and musical traditions are profoundly connected to ideas of peace, particularly in their relational understanding of land, community, ancestry, and responsibility. These musical practices embody forms of reconciliation, continuity, and collective balance that resonate strongly with broader peacebuilding concerns, even if they are not always framed within that terminology.

Interested in learning more? Francesca can be reached at her PhD page.