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Linked Arms and Lingering Songs: An Analysis of Sound, Belonging and Governance in Student Sittnings

Bodnaras, Raluca Ioana LU (2026) TKAM02 20261
Division of Ethnology
Abstract
This thesis aim is to highlight the ability and power that sound has to act as a social driver, generating movement, coordinating bodies and allowing for the conceptualization of sound as a soft mechanism of governance. Using a theoretical framework built on the works of Michel Foucault (1977, 2007) and Pierre Bourdieu (1977), as well as previous studies concerned with sound and its social and cultural significance, I argue that sound is able to guide bodies and their behaviours in accordance to its expectations by relying on ritual repetition and a felt sense of belonging and appartenance to a community, creating attuned bodies that possess the embodied knowledge which allows them to react to the guidance of the sound. The context in... (More)
This thesis aim is to highlight the ability and power that sound has to act as a social driver, generating movement, coordinating bodies and allowing for the conceptualization of sound as a soft mechanism of governance. Using a theoretical framework built on the works of Michel Foucault (1977, 2007) and Pierre Bourdieu (1977), as well as previous studies concerned with sound and its social and cultural significance, I argue that sound is able to guide bodies and their behaviours in accordance to its expectations by relying on ritual repetition and a felt sense of belonging and appartenance to a community, creating attuned bodies that possess the embodied knowledge which allows them to react to the guidance of the sound. The context in which this phenomenon is approached is represented by student sittnings organized by Kalmar Nation, one of the student organizations in the city of Lund, Sweden. The findings demonstrate that sound does have the ability to move and coordinate bodies, generating synchronization and shared patterns of behaviour that, over time, contribute to a sense of belonging and emergence of self-regulation without the use of coercion or authority. This research contributes both in a theoretical sense, as it tackles sound as a force that is able to affect human bodies in a secular, non-mystical setting, as well as from a practical perspective, providing insights regarding how sound works in spaces that benefit from or require collective, synchronized participation. (Less)
Abstract (Romanian)
Această lucrare de disertație iși propune să evidențieze capacitatea sunetului de a acționa ca un mecanism de influență socială, generând mișcare, coordonând corpuri și permițând conceptualizarea sunetului ca un mecanism de guvernare non-coercitivă. Folosind un cadru teoretic construit pe baza lucrărilor lui Michel Foucault (1977, 2007) și Pierre Bourdieu (1977), precum și a studiilor anterioare referitoare la sunet și semnificațiile sale sociale și culturale, susțin că sunetul este capabil să ghideze corpurile personaelor și comportamentele acestora in comformitate cu așteptările pe care le genereaza, bazându-se pe repetiție ritualistică și pe un sentiment de apartenență la o comunitate. Astfel, sunt create attuned bodies care posedă... (More)
Această lucrare de disertație iși propune să evidențieze capacitatea sunetului de a acționa ca un mecanism de influență socială, generând mișcare, coordonând corpuri și permițând conceptualizarea sunetului ca un mecanism de guvernare non-coercitivă. Folosind un cadru teoretic construit pe baza lucrărilor lui Michel Foucault (1977, 2007) și Pierre Bourdieu (1977), precum și a studiilor anterioare referitoare la sunet și semnificațiile sale sociale și culturale, susțin că sunetul este capabil să ghideze corpurile personaelor și comportamentele acestora in comformitate cu așteptările pe care le genereaza, bazându-se pe repetiție ritualistică și pe un sentiment de apartenență la o comunitate. Astfel, sunt create attuned bodies care posedă cunoașterea necesară pentru a răspunde la ghidajul exercitat de sunet. Contextul în care acest fenomen este analizat este reprezentat de sittning-urile studențești organizate de Kalmar Nation, una dintre organizațiile de studenți din orașul suedez Lund. Rezultatele demonstrează faptul că sunetul are, într-adevăr, capacitatea de a pune corpurile în mișcare și de a le coordona, generând sincronizare și modele comune de comportament care, în timp, contribuie la dezvoltarea unui sentiment de apartenență și la apariția unei reglări automate a comportamentului, fără constrângere sau intervenție din partea unei autorități. Această cercetare contribuie atât din punct de vedere teoretic, abordând sunetul ca o forță capabilă să influențeze corpurile umane într-un cadru secular, non-mistic, cât și din perspectivă practică, oferind detalii importante despre modul în care sunetul funcționează în spații care necesită sau beneficicează de participare colectivă sincronizată. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Bodnaras, Raluca Ioana LU
supervisor
organization
course
TKAM02 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Sound studies, student sittnings, social coordination, belonging, self-regulation, secular rituals.
language
English
id
9242123
date added to LUP
2026-06-23 09:42:27
date last changed
2026-06-23 09:42:27
@misc{9242123,
  abstract     = {{This thesis aim is to highlight the ability and power that sound has to act as a social driver, generating movement, coordinating bodies and allowing for the conceptualization of sound as a soft mechanism of governance. Using a theoretical framework built on the works of Michel Foucault (1977, 2007) and Pierre Bourdieu (1977), as well as previous studies concerned with sound and its social and cultural significance, I argue that sound is able to guide bodies and their behaviours in accordance to its expectations by relying on ritual repetition and a felt sense of belonging and appartenance to a community, creating attuned bodies that possess the embodied knowledge which allows them to react to the guidance of the sound. The context in which this phenomenon is approached is represented by student sittnings organized by Kalmar Nation, one of the student organizations in the city of Lund, Sweden. The findings demonstrate that sound does have the ability to move and coordinate bodies, generating synchronization and shared patterns of behaviour that, over time, contribute to a sense of belonging and emergence of self-regulation without the use of coercion or authority. This research contributes both in a theoretical sense, as it tackles sound as a force that is able to affect human bodies in a secular, non-mystical setting, as well as from a practical perspective, providing insights regarding how sound works in spaces that benefit from or require collective, synchronized participation.}},
  author       = {{Bodnaras, Raluca Ioana}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Linked Arms and Lingering Songs: An Analysis of Sound, Belonging and Governance in Student Sittnings}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}