"Music That Changed The World" is back on Wednesday 30 september at 20:00 (doors open at 19:30) in PAARD, The Hague. Pauwke Berkers, professor in Sociology of Popular Music at Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, kicks off the second series with the lecture “Sounds of protest: music, resistance, recognition”. The lectures focus on the impact of music on society, examined from a scientific perspective.
- Professor
- Date
- Wednesday 30 Sep 2026, 19:30 - 23:00
- Type
- Lecture
- Spoken Language
- English
- Location
PAARD, Prinsegracht 12, The Hague
Why does music play such a powerful role in protest? From shouting in the streets to being part of an exuberant crowd at a festival, music has a unique power to unite people. This second series of the ‘Music That Changes The World’ lectures explores how music functions within protest settings, focusing on how it is received and experienced by protesters and the public. We’ll examine why music is crucial in transforming a crowd into a collective, and how it turns emotions into action.
This lecture is part of a series:
30 September: Sounds of protest: music, resistance, recognition
28 October: Champagne for the proletariat: Class-related Issues in Dutch Protest Songs
25 November: Humour, music, and activism: can laughter change the world?
16 December: “There’s Some Women in This House!”: Hip Hop Feminism and Sounds of Resistance
Lecture 1 – Sounds of protest: music, resistance, recognition
Protest and music have been intertwined for decades, and today they are more prevalent than ever. From Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s ‘bed-in’ for peace in an Amsterdam hotel in 1969, to Madonna’s surprise performance at the World Pride Music Festival. From Bob Vylan’s ‘Death to the IDF’ to Sophie Straat’s call for white men to make way at the Best Kept Secret festival.
In the opening lecture, Professor Pauwke Berkers takes you on a journey through the many intersections where music and protest converge. Why do they so often go hand in hand? What issues are musicians fighting against? What forms does this protest take, and what impact does it have on the public and politics? And, of course: does protest music really make a difference?
About the lecturer
Pauwke Berkers is Professor of Sociology of Popular Music at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on inclusion, wellbeing and resilience in the music industry. He is a co-founder of the Rotterdam Popular Music Studies (RPMS) group and co-author of *Gender in Metal Music Production*. Berkers investigates how gender and ethnicity influence participation in popular music, and his projects explore diversity at festivals, resilience in creative work, and the role of protest music.
In 2023, he delivered his inaugural lecture, *What Music Means: Industry, Society, Sociology*, in which he demonstrated how music is linked to major social themes such as equality, social cohesion and enchantment. As a lifelong punk enthusiast and passionate cassette collector, Berkers combines academic rigour with a deep love of music and its role in shaping society.
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