Political Acoustic Ecology: On the Role of Political Ecology in Soundscape Studies

Abstract

Which role may Political Ecology play for studies of Acoustic Ecology? As global environmental change is rapidly transforming soundscapes along the frontiers of resource use, important questions arise about who precisely occupies the common sonic environment, how resulting sonic burdens and benefits are distributed among diverse social groups, across the audible and inaudible spectrum, as well as how affected communities, activists and movements may respond to adverse sonic environmental change. This paper delves into some of the intersections of Political Ecology and Acoustic Ecology and explores five points of inquiry for a ”Political Acoustic  Ecology” that may offer fresh insights in the socio-political dimensions of sonic environmental change.