Drumming for Change
The Case Study of Rhythms of Resistance Tallinn
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5429/2079-3871(2026)v16i1.7enKeywords:
music activism, identity politics, care, tactical frivolity, Pride, EstoniaAbstract
Music has long been recognised as a powerful resource for uniting people around shared ideas, making it an effective tool for political activism. In this article, we examine an activist percussion group, Rhythms of Resistance (RoR) Tallinn, to identify key aspects of their activism by analysing video footage of their performance at Tallinn Pride 2023. Additional data include a focus group interview with three RoR Tallinn members and an ethnographic account. Our main research questions are: what key performance practices characterise RoR Tallinn’s activist drumming, and how do these practices localise transnational protest repertoires in the Estonian context within the post-Soviet Baltic-Nordic region? Our analysis identified four interrelated thematic dimensions: (1) the use of tactical frivolity; (2) distributed leadership; (3) care across multiple in-group and outward-reaching layers; and (4) embodied individual experience. We argue that RoR Tallinn functions not only as a form of protest but as a care-oriented, embodied practice that sustains activists and reshapes protest culture through music.
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Fieldwork materials
Footage and observation notes from Tallinn Pride, June 10, 2023.
FM – RoR members, focus group interview, June 20, 2023.
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