Join the Libraries and the History and Music departments for a talk by David Suisman, Associate Professor of History at the University of Delaware, on his recent book!

Music has been part of war since time immemorial, but what is the relationship between music-making and war-making? This talk traces how the U.S. military used music to train soldiers and regulate military life from the Civil War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how soldiers themselves have turned to music to cope with war’s emotional and psychological strains. Drawing on his recent book Instrument of War: Music and the Making of America’s Soldiers, David Suisman links together a wide range of musical practices, from boot camp to the battlefield, uncovering the surprising history of how music has enabled more than a century and a half of state violence.