Socio-cognitive Approach: A study of Political Music Videos of Pakistan (2007-2017)

Abstract

This study explores the socio-cognitive processes involved in the production of Pakistani music videos with political narratives. The time period of the research is for ten years starting from 2007 to 2017. This study suggests that music video is a newest and powerful tool to construct political narratives through integrative and disintegrative themes in Pakistan, and these narratives are used to stimulate the audience. The study rests upon qualitative analysis through in-depth interviews of the producers of music videos, lyricists and singers. Five respondents are selected for the interviews using purposive sampling technique. Then the themes are extracted from the answers of the respondents. The theoretical perspective integrated to interpret the results, is Rick Altman’s approach to film Genre (1987). The findings suggest an extension in Altman’s ideological approach. Findings also show that the positive themes are mostly portrayed in Pakistani sociopolitical music videos with the sponsorship of state institutions.