Soundscapes of Fear: Resonance as a Weapon and the Sonic Warfare Continuum

The main goal of this article is to combine, within the context of sonic warfare, the concepts of soundscape (R. Murray Schafer), narrativity (Algirdas Greimas), and sonic warfare continuum (Steve Goodman), all interpreted through the lens of the resonance theory as postulated by Hartmut Rosa. The thesis is that resonance, as an unstoppable and affective force that can be exerted on (and by) all physical objects, contains a dangerous component that can be identified in so-called “sonic weapons” and “sonic war machines”.

By identifying specific soundscapes and analyzing different sonic weapons, it becomes possible to use the sonic warfare continuum to study the resonance they establish with listeners, and one can also conceive different effects and inclinations towards the same “resonating” objects.

To illustrate this theoretical framework, two recordings of Rudyard Kipling’s poem Boots and their reception in different contexts and soundscapes will be analyzed. This will demonstrate how, within the sonic warfare continuum, different narratives surrounding sonic war machines push the listeners to react to similar stimulations. Therefore, listeners establish resonance through sonic war machines in powerful, tensive, and potentially threatening ways.