Music as Cultural Refuge Community of Practice

Music as Cultural Refuge is an AHRC-funded project that explores the important role of music for young people growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles/Conflict (1968-1998) and how it offered a powerful avenue for self-expression, belonging and cross-community engagement. 

Specifically, it aims to: 

(O1) Illuminate the diverse experiences and cultural agency of young people during the Troubles through their engagement with music and its material culture(O2) Explore how objects of music material culture functioned as sources of resilience, emotional refuge and alternative identity for young people
(O3) Enrich public understanding of music’s cultural heritage and significance in supporting youth and community resilience in conflict-affected contexts, using Northern Ireland as a case study
(O4) Establish a sustainable community of practice that facilitates ongoing public engagement, education and cultural memory initiatives.

The project is led by Dr Lauren Alex O’Hagan, Research Fellow at the Open University, in collaboration with Oh Yeah! Music Centre and Prof. Áine Mangaoang of the University of Oslo.

This Community of Practice has been set up as a space to share project outputs and resources, as well as to encourage dialogue and collaboration between researchers, community organisations, educators, cultural practitioners and others with an interest in music, youth and cultural memory. As the project progresses over its two-year duration, new content will be added, allowing the Community of Practice to evolve in response to emerging research, contributions and conversations.