Terrain n°68 “L’emprise des sons”, p. 132-149.
Full text available online (in French).
Since the Second World War, research has been taking place in Europe and North America to exploit acoustic waves for offensive use. In this “non-lethal” arsenal, music is invoked as an effective means of reaching the innermost psychological reaches of the people targeted. Juliette Volcler explains how this menacing imaginary is closely linked to behavioural psychology and to the wider field of sound manipulation that emerged from the 1930s in the context of theatre, cinema and ambient music.