Voicing freedom, sounding dissent: Popular music, simulation and citizenship in democratizing Albania, 1991–1997

Abstract

Between 1991 and 1997, Western-style rock and popular music in postsocialist Albania came to be targeted for processes of democratization and de-communization. In this article, I examine how efforts to imaginatively locate and musically voice ‘freedom’ and ‘dissent’ through popular musicians’ performances articulated to a nominally democratic order that necessitated ‘free’ citizens. Starting from Nikolas Rose’s notion of ‘freedom as a formula of power’, I explore how particular musical performances, commentaries and received ideas about the ‘power’ of popular music in democratic and nondemocratic contexts helped to shape and promote an ideal kind of agent, a ‘free’ Citizen–Subject. In approa..