Sound Tactics

Auditory Power in Political Protests

Justin Eckstein

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Hardback

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English

Pennsylvania State University Press
05 March 2025

Communication studies; Media studies; Political correctness; Civil rights & citizenship

Series: RSA Series in Transdisciplinary Rhetoric

From call-and-response chants to the noise of pots and pans, protests are often defined by their sounds. In this book, Justin Eckstein argues that this is not merely the result of catchy slogans; it is due to sound’s ability to hold those in power accountable. Sound Tactics highlights how, in a world grappling with the uncertainty of emergent digital practices, social movements utilize the rhetorical power of sound.

Eckstein uses the waveform as a metaphor for the persuasive potential of sound. Examining the case studies of the March for Our Lives protest, Howard University’s #HUResist movement, and the Casseroles protest in Montreal, Eckstein demonstrates how changes to the immediacy, intensity, and immersiveness of sound can affect the power of an argument. The collective use of sound in these case studies conveys the unity of the protesters in their demand for change and underlines the strength of their argument to those in power.

More than just the written word spoken aloud, sound has unique layers of added meaning—it can convey length of time, demand attention, and signal disapproval. Eckstein’s study unpacks those layers for scholars and students as well as activists interested in deploying sound for change.

By: Justin Eckstein
Imprint: Pennsylvania State University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 399g
ISBN: 9780271099378
ISBN 10: 0271099372
Series: RSA Series in Transdisciplinary Rhetoric
Pages: 190
Publication Date: 05 March 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Justin Eckstein is Associate Professor of Communication, Media, and Design Arts at Pacific Lutheran University and Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. He is the coeditor of Cookery: Food Rhetorics and Social Production.

Reviews for Sound Tactics: Auditory Power in Political Protests

“Sound Tactics is a sophisticated, sonic account of kairos in contemporary social movements—in our streets and on our screens, through chants and screams and silences, and using voices and megaphones and amplified speakers.” —Joshua Gunn, author of Political Perversion: Rhetorical Aberration in the Time of Trumpeteering