Earshot

by Bruce Johnson

Perspectives on Sound awakens an understanding of the decisive role that sound has played in history and culture. Although beginning with reference to antiquity, the primary focus is the changing status of sound and hearing in Western culture over the last six hundred years, covering the transition from the medieval period to the contemporary world. Since mythic times, sound has been an essential element in the formation of belief systems, personal and community identities and the negotiations between them. The varied case studies included in the book cover major reference points in the changing politics of sound, particularly in relation to the status of the other major conduit of social transactions, vision. Earshot is not a work of cultural theory but is anchored in social practices and material culture and is therefore a valuable resource for conveying sound to both undergraduate students as well as the general reader.

214 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2023

About the author

Bruce Johnson is Docent and Visiting Professor, Cultural History, University of Turku (Finland); Adjunct Professor, Contemporary Music Studies, Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia); Honorary Professor, Department of Music, University of Glasgow (Scotland, UK).

Reviews

[mar.i.a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earshot by Bruce Johnson offers a fascinating excursion through the history of sound and noise. Rather than presenting a purely chronological account, Johnson explores the subject through a series of vivid and carefully chosen examples. These range from the political significance of Irish folk songs among prisoners transported to Australia, to the public spectacle of executions in eighteenth-century England, and from the role of sound in Shakespeare's Hamlet to the growing problem of noise pollution in contemporary life. The book's strength lies in its ability to connect seemingly disparate episodes and show how sound has shaped social, political, and cultural experience across different periods. As a result, the reader gains a fresh perspective on an aspect of history that is often overlooked.