Sound Targets: Music and the War in Iraq

摘要

This study explores three ways in which music is used by American soldiers involved in the Iraq war: as an inspiration for combat, as a psychological tactic, and as a form of soldiers' expression. My analysis focuses on the popular music genres of metal and rap, because these styles appear to be used prominently in relation to these three areas of study. Like other popular music genres, metal and rap are part of a larger system of cultural beliefs that project certain power relations, and the essay examines how aspects of these ideologies, such as themes of power, of chaos, violence, survival, and others, operate within the context of music and the war in Iraq.