A right to the sonic city? - Discourses and practices around sound and noise seen through the kulturljudzon
(2026) SGEM08 20261Department of Human Geography
- Abstract
- Since the sensory turn in the 1980s and 90s, increasing focus has been put upon the non-visual senses within spatial theory and research. One analytical lens that has emerged is that of the soundscape, through which sounds are understood as a natural and inherent part of space and place-making within the urban. Intertwined in this understanding of sound is the tension between sound and noise and the debated definitions and understandings of noise. This thesis examines how sounds and noises are institutionally defined, understood, and regulated in a Swedish context. This was done through a discourse analysis of governmentally and municipally published material, as well as a case study of a kulturljudzon in Sofielund, Malmö, in which... (More)
- Since the sensory turn in the 1980s and 90s, increasing focus has been put upon the non-visual senses within spatial theory and research. One analytical lens that has emerged is that of the soundscape, through which sounds are understood as a natural and inherent part of space and place-making within the urban. Intertwined in this understanding of sound is the tension between sound and noise and the debated definitions and understandings of noise. This thesis examines how sounds and noises are institutionally defined, understood, and regulated in a Swedish context. This was done through a discourse analysis of governmentally and municipally published material, as well as a case study of a kulturljudzon in Sofielund, Malmö, in which implications of the kulturljudzon in relation to how sound and noise are understood were reviewed and analyzed. As background, the thesis accounts for previous research on sound and the city, as well as historical and contemporary soundscapes of Malmö in general and Sofielund in particular. The thesis develops a theoretical framework that combines sound and noise theory with the right to the city towards a “right to the sonic city”, through a dualism of “the right to make sound” and “the right not to hear noise”. Research methods used were a critical discourse analysis (CDA) based on Carol Bacchi’s WPR approach and a qualitative content analysis of documents pertaining to the kulturljudzon in Sofielund. Results from the CDA included that sound is predominantly problematized through a technocratic discourse of noise, exposure and health risk, while omitting perspectives pertaining to the soundscape and the social and spatial production of acoustic value. Results from the qualitative content analysis in relation to the case study were that the kulturljudzon in Sofielund is generally an effective de-noisefying tool for the affected space and sound-making actors within it, but that it is institutionally understood as a relatively peripheral spatial exception to the technocratic discourse and regulations set by governmental institutions. Discussion of the results revolved around interpreting the institutional discourse from a soundscape perspective, arguing for an increased integration of participatory voices, social implications, and context-dependent understandings of noise in institutional sound theory and regulation. Conclusions drawn by the thesis included that the kulturljudzon could be considered a policy with potential to diversify the technocratic discourse within urban sound policy in Swedish governmental and municipal institutions, but one that is currently isolated in its application and scope. Potential further research venues identified mainly revolved around moving beyond the purely institutional focus into the everyday experience of how sounds and noises are interpreted and regulated. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9250084
- author
- Petersson, Edvin LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SGEM08 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- kulturljudzon, sound, noise, soundscape, sensory turn, WPR approach, critical discourse analysis, qualitative content analysis
- language
- English
- id
- 9250084
- date added to LUP
- 2026-09-04 08:52:00
- date last changed
- 2026-09-04 08:52:00
@misc{9250084,
abstract = {{Since the sensory turn in the 1980s and 90s, increasing focus has been put upon the non-visual senses within spatial theory and research. One analytical lens that has emerged is that of the soundscape, through which sounds are understood as a natural and inherent part of space and place-making within the urban. Intertwined in this understanding of sound is the tension between sound and noise and the debated definitions and understandings of noise. This thesis examines how sounds and noises are institutionally defined, understood, and regulated in a Swedish context. This was done through a discourse analysis of governmentally and municipally published material, as well as a case study of a kulturljudzon in Sofielund, Malmö, in which implications of the kulturljudzon in relation to how sound and noise are understood were reviewed and analyzed. As background, the thesis accounts for previous research on sound and the city, as well as historical and contemporary soundscapes of Malmö in general and Sofielund in particular. The thesis develops a theoretical framework that combines sound and noise theory with the right to the city towards a “right to the sonic city”, through a dualism of “the right to make sound” and “the right not to hear noise”. Research methods used were a critical discourse analysis (CDA) based on Carol Bacchi’s WPR approach and a qualitative content analysis of documents pertaining to the kulturljudzon in Sofielund. Results from the CDA included that sound is predominantly problematized through a technocratic discourse of noise, exposure and health risk, while omitting perspectives pertaining to the soundscape and the social and spatial production of acoustic value. Results from the qualitative content analysis in relation to the case study were that the kulturljudzon in Sofielund is generally an effective de-noisefying tool for the affected space and sound-making actors within it, but that it is institutionally understood as a relatively peripheral spatial exception to the technocratic discourse and regulations set by governmental institutions. Discussion of the results revolved around interpreting the institutional discourse from a soundscape perspective, arguing for an increased integration of participatory voices, social implications, and context-dependent understandings of noise in institutional sound theory and regulation. Conclusions drawn by the thesis included that the kulturljudzon could be considered a policy with potential to diversify the technocratic discourse within urban sound policy in Swedish governmental and municipal institutions, but one that is currently isolated in its application and scope. Potential further research venues identified mainly revolved around moving beyond the purely institutional focus into the everyday experience of how sounds and noises are interpreted and regulated.}},
author = {{Petersson, Edvin}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{A right to the sonic city? - Discourses and practices around sound and noise seen through the kulturljudzon}},
year = {{2026}},
}