Journal of Academic Research for Humanities (JARH) is a double-blind peer-review, Open Free Access, online Multidisciplinary Research Journal
Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2023)
The International "Journal of Academic Research for Humanities"

Research Articles

Coke Studio: A Strategic Tool for Pakistan's Cultural Diplomacy

Published 31-12-2023

  • Muhammad Rafi Khan
    • ,
  • Prof. Dr. Sajid Mehmood Shahzad

Muhammad Rafi Khan
PhD Scholar/Lecture, Department of International Relations, Minhaj University Lahore

Prof. Dr. Sajid Mehmood Shahzad
Professor, Vice-Chancellor, Minhaj University Lahore, Email: Commodore.shahzad@gmail.com

Abstract

The popularity of music in Pakistan has been a consistent and continuing phenomenon throughout its history. This element is of utmost significance in customary gatherings, celebratory occasions, and religious and sacred assemblies. It is also extensively used in memorialization, conflicts, and military engagements. The surge in popularity and widespread acceptance of music paved the way for exploring new domains in the quest for musical discovery. As a result, in 2008, Coke Studio (CS) emerged as a significant platform to promote Pakistan’s music with its modern form and applications. The remarkable triumph of Coke Studio, coupled with its widespread acclaim on a global scale, has provided additional impetus for other music labels and franchises to explore and innovate within the realm of music, thereby enhancing the overall artistic landscape. Owing to its global achievements, Pakistan has acquired fresh opportunities to strategize and implement cultural diplomacy with a new perspective. This study explores the popularity of CS within the country and analyzes how CS can be used as a strategic tool for Pakistan's cultural diplomacy. The study is based on constructivism and aligns with the approaches of modern constructivists, particularly Wendt (1992; 1999). Constructivists think that shared ideas, rather than tangible forces, define the forms of human relationships.

Keywords

Coke Studio, Pakistan, Culture, Music, Diplomacy, Strategy, Constructivism

PDF

References

  1. Abbasi, N. M. (2013). Impact of terrorism on Pakistan. Strategic Studies, 33(2), 33-68.
  2. Abid, S., Bilal, M. Z., & Begum, A. (2022). Music And Trans Culturalism: Analyzing the Role of Coke Studio Music in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Social Research, 4(3), 933-943.
  3. Ahrendt, R., Ferraguto, M., & Mahiet, D. (Eds.). (2014). Music and Diplomacy: From the Early Modern Era the Present (1st ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
  4. Asad-Ullah, M. (2020, December 27). Coke Studio has placed Pakistani music on global map. Retrieved from The Gulf Times: https://www.gulf-times.com/story/681194/coke-studio-has-placed-pakistani-music-on-global-map
  5. Beg, Z. (2020, December 21). Fizzy Drinks and Sufi Music: Abida Parveen in Coke Studio Pakistan. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Saint Mary’s University.
  6. Campbell, P. S. (1997). Music, the universal language: Fact or fallacy? International Journal of Music Education, OS-29(1). doi:10.1177/025576149702900105
  7. Chocano, R. (2022, August). Outsourcing the nation? Musical collaboration, nation building and neo-liberal logics in Coke Studio Pakistan. Indian Theatre Journal, 6(Reality Television in South Asia). doi:10.1386/itj_00028_1
  8. Coke Studio. (2020). Coke Studio Pakistan. Retrieved from cokestudio.com.pk.
  9. Collier, K. A. (2014). A Case Study on Corporate Peace: The Coca-Cola Company: Coke Studio Pakistan. Business Peace and Sustainable Development, 1(2). doi:10.9774/gleaf.8757.2014.ja.00006
  10. Constantinou, C. M., Kerr, P., & Sharp, P. (Eds.). (2016). The SAGE Handbook of Diplomacy (1st ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
  11. D’Souza, R. A. (2021). Composing an Oppositional Discourse in Coke Studio Pakistan. Communication, Culture & Critique, 14(4). doi:10.1093/ccc/tcab048
  12. Dhanwani, R. (2014, January 13). COKE STUDIO: Remapping Translocality, Investigating the transnational in its labour, technological and economic relations. Acaemia.edu.
  13. Dunkel, M., & Nitzsche, S. A. (Eds.). (2018). Popular Music and Public Diplomacy: Transnational and Transdisciplinary Perspectives. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld. doi:10.14361/9783839443583
  14. Eggeling, K. A., & Adler-Nissen, R. (2021, June). Theoretical Perspectives in Diplomacy. Global Studies Quarterly, 1(2). doi:10.1093/isagsq/ksab005
  15. Einbinder, M. (2013). Cultural Diplomacy; Harmonizing International Relations through Music. Gallatin School of Individualized Studies, New York University.
  16. Faucher, C. (2016). Cultural Diplomacy and International Cultural Relations in Twentieth-Century Europe. Contemporary European History, 25(2). doi:10.1017/s0960777316000126
  17. Feld, S. (1984). Communication, Music, and Speech about Music. Yearbook for Traditional Music, 16. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/768199
  18. Fosler-Lussier, D. (2012, 1). Music Pushed, Music Pulled: Cultural Diplomacy, Globalization, and Imperialism. Diplomatic History, 36(1), 53-64.
  19. Fosler-Lussier, D. (2020). Music on the Move (1st ed.). University of Michigan Press.
  20. Guzzini, S. (2000). A reconstruction of constructivism in International Relations. European Journal of International Relations, 6(2), 147–182.
  21. Hurn, B. J., & Tomalin, B. (2013). Cultural Diplomacy and Nation Branding. Cross-Cultural Communication.
  22. Jamnongsarn, S. (2014). Interaction of Music as a Soft Power in the Dimension of Cultural Diplomacy between Indonesia and Thailand. International Journal of Creative and Arts Studies, 1(1).
  23. Javaid, U., & Kamal, M. (2012, June). The Mumbai Terror ‘2008’ and its Impact on the Indo-Pak Relations. South Asian Studies, 28(1), 25-37. Retrieved from http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/csas/PDF/2_V28_1_2013.pdf
  24. Khan, K., & Humayun, M. (2022). 'Coke Studio': A Conduit for Culture, Music and Identity in South Asia. ARTSHELP. Retrieved from https://www.artshelp.com/coke-studio/
  25. Khurana, S. (2016, September 6). One Song, One Voice. Retrieved from The Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/music/shilpa-rao-coke-studio-pakistan-indian-music-3015364/
  26. Kibria, S. (2020). Coke Studio Pakistan: An Ode to Eastern Music with a. Economic & Political Weekly, 55(12). Retrieved from https://www.epw.in/engage/article/coke-studio-pakistan-ode-eastern-music-western
  27. Lianu, O. (2016). Music – one of the best ambassadors of Cultural diplomacy. Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov, Series VIII: Performing Arts, 2, 195-200.
  28. Marc, I. (2020, 10 27). Around the world: France’s new popular music diplomacy. Modern and Contemporary France, 28(3), 253-270. doi:10.1080/09639489.2019.1682533
  29. Monie, S. (2011, June 17). Coke Studio Brings People Together. Forbes India. Retrieved from https://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/coke-studio-brings-people-together/26072/1
  30. Nair, S. (2010, September 23). High on Coke Studio. Retrieved from The Open: https://openthemagazine.com/features/world/high-on-coke-studio/
  31. Qaisar, K. (2019). Sign, Simulacra and the Hyperreal in Coke Studio Sufi Sing. Kashmir Journal of Language Research, 22(1). Retrieved from http://kjlr.pk/index.php/kjlr/article/view/95
  32. Qaisar, K., & Hashmi, F. A. (2013). Music transcends everything': Coke studio fuses genres and cultures, creates international franchise. Research Journal Al Basirah, 9(1).
  33. Raja, M. A. (2020). Digital Integrated Marketing Communication (Dimc) And It's Logical Relationship with Co-Branding And Brand Values With Reference To Coke Studio. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 24(1), 1-21.
  34. Syed, A., & Bhutta, M. M. (2020). Cultural Diplomacy: A Tool for Pakistan's Positive Image Internationally. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal. doi:10.47264/idea.lassij/3.2.11
  35. Tyler, D. (2007). Music of the Postwar Era (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing.
  36. Wendt, A. (1992). Anarchy is what States Make of it: The Social Construction of Power Politics. International Organization, 46(2), 391-425.
  37. Wendt, A. (1999). Social Theory of International Politics (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  38. Williams, R. D., & Mahmood, R. (2019). A soundtrack for reimagining Pakistan? Coke Studio, memory and the music video. BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies, 10(12). doi:10.1177/0974927619896771