Acoustic Jurisprudence

Listening to the Trial of Simon Bikindi

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, International, History
Cover of the book Acoustic Jurisprudence by James E K Parker, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James E K Parker ISBN: 9780191054662
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: October 29, 2015
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: James E K Parker
ISBN: 9780191054662
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: October 29, 2015
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Between September 2006 and December 2008, Simon Bikindi stood trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, accused of inciting genocide with his songs. In the early 1990s, Bikindi had been one of Rwanda's most well-known and popular figures - the country's minister for culture and its most famous and respected singer. But by the end of 1994, his songs had quite literally soundtracked a genocide. Acoustic Jurisprudence is the first detailed study of the trial that followed. It is also the first work of contemporary legal scholarship to address the many relations between law and sound, which are of much broader importance but which this trial very conspicuously raises. One half of the book addresses the Tribunal's 'sonic imagination'. How did the Tribunal conceive of Bikindi's songs for the purposes of judgment? How did it understand the role of radio and other media in their transmission? And with what consequences for Bikindi? The other half of the book is addressed to how such concerns played out in court. Bikindi's was a 'musical trial', as one judge pithily observed. Audio and audio-visual recordings of his songs were played regularly throughout. Witnesses, including Bikindi himself, frequently sang, both of their own accord and at the request of the Tribunal. Indeed, Bikindi even sang his final statement. All the while, judges, barristers, and witnesses alike spoke into microphones and listened through headphones. As a result, the Bikindi case offers an ideal opportunity to explore what this book calls the 'judicial soundscape'. Through the lens of the Bikindi trial, the book's most important innovation is to open up the field of sound to jurisprudential inquiry. Ultimately, it is an argument for a specifically acoustic jurisprudence.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Between September 2006 and December 2008, Simon Bikindi stood trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, accused of inciting genocide with his songs. In the early 1990s, Bikindi had been one of Rwanda's most well-known and popular figures - the country's minister for culture and its most famous and respected singer. But by the end of 1994, his songs had quite literally soundtracked a genocide. Acoustic Jurisprudence is the first detailed study of the trial that followed. It is also the first work of contemporary legal scholarship to address the many relations between law and sound, which are of much broader importance but which this trial very conspicuously raises. One half of the book addresses the Tribunal's 'sonic imagination'. How did the Tribunal conceive of Bikindi's songs for the purposes of judgment? How did it understand the role of radio and other media in their transmission? And with what consequences for Bikindi? The other half of the book is addressed to how such concerns played out in court. Bikindi's was a 'musical trial', as one judge pithily observed. Audio and audio-visual recordings of his songs were played regularly throughout. Witnesses, including Bikindi himself, frequently sang, both of their own accord and at the request of the Tribunal. Indeed, Bikindi even sang his final statement. All the while, judges, barristers, and witnesses alike spoke into microphones and listened through headphones. As a result, the Bikindi case offers an ideal opportunity to explore what this book calls the 'judicial soundscape'. Through the lens of the Bikindi trial, the book's most important innovation is to open up the field of sound to jurisprudential inquiry. Ultimately, it is an argument for a specifically acoustic jurisprudence.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Doing and Being by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Contemporary Art: A Very Short Introduction by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Coercion and Responsibility in Islam by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Physics: a short history from quintessence to quarks by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Lung Cancer by James E K Parker
Cover of the book The Politics of Police Detention in Japan by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Tombs of the Ancient Poets by James E K Parker
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology by James E K Parker
Cover of the book The Woodlanders by James E K Parker
Cover of the book The Intellectual Struggle for Florence by James E K Parker
Cover of the book God and Mystery in Words by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Catholicism by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Little Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs by James E K Parker
Cover of the book Guilty Robots, Happy Dogs by James E K Parker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy