Noriko Manabe
@nmanabe.bsky.social
Professor, music theory, ethnomusicology, Japan studies. Research in music & social movements, popular music, music & language. Author, Protest Music after Fukushima; Editor, Oxford Handbook of Protest Music, 33-1/3 Japan. Views my own. linktr.ee/nmanabe
Pinned
Noriko Manabe
@nmanabe.bsky.social
· Jun 27
Intertextuality in Protest Music: A Typology
AbstractMusic in social movements regularly recalls preexisting music, text, and symbols, which can capture attention, resonate with historical memory, enh
doi.org
My chapter, “Intertextuality in Protest Music: A Typology” in The Oxford Handbook of Protest Music, edited by Eric Drott and me, has been published on Oxford Handbooks Online. doi.org/10.1093/oxfo...
Links to videos and audio can be found here: www.norikomanabe.com/publications...
Links to videos and audio can be found here: www.norikomanabe.com/publications...
I was interviewed by Axios on recent protest music about ICE. www.axios.com/2026/02/02/p...
The playlist of the resistance
Dissenters are harnessing music as a tool of resistance.
www.axios.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:29 PM
I was interviewed by Axios on recent protest music about ICE. www.axios.com/2026/02/02/p...
Reposted by Noriko Manabe
The Nation has nominated the people of Minneapolis for a Nobel Peace Price. Help out below:
https://bit.ly/4q9datK
https://bit.ly/4q9datK
Help Minneapolis Get a Nobel Peace Prize
Students protest against ICE during a walkout at the University of Minnesota, on January 26, 2026 (Brandon Bell / Getty Images) The editors of The Nation are formally nominating the city of Minneapo...
bit.ly
January 31, 2026 at 2:45 PM
The Nation has nominated the people of Minneapolis for a Nobel Peace Price. Help out below:
https://bit.ly/4q9datK
https://bit.ly/4q9datK
Turns out net debtors can’t tick off everyone all the time. Dollar down 10% against other currencies; demand for US equities and govt bonds down, with negative implications for market performance and interest rates. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/b...
Sell America Is the New Trade on Wall Street
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Turns out net debtors can’t tick off everyone all the time. Dollar down 10% against other currencies; demand for US equities and govt bonds down, with negative implications for market performance and interest rates. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/b...
And would explain why there's no equivalent investigation for Renee Good's murder.
January 30, 2026 at 6:34 PM
And would explain why there's no equivalent investigation for Renee Good's murder.
I participated in @npr.org AirTalk with Larry Mantle, where callers chimed in on what they thought about @brucespringsteen.net 's new anthem on #ICE and #Minneapolis. Some very interesting comments. omny.fm/shows/airtal...
What goes into ‘know your rights’ training?, TV Talk, and more - AirTalk
Today on AirTalk:
Bruce Springsteen has a new protest song — but does it matter? (0:30)
How are restaurants doing amid ICE raids and weak consumer confidence? ? (20:17)
New book digs into how easy ...
omny.fm
January 30, 2026 at 2:15 PM
I participated in @npr.org AirTalk with Larry Mantle, where callers chimed in on what they thought about @brucespringsteen.net 's new anthem on #ICE and #Minneapolis. Some very interesting comments. omny.fm/shows/airtal...
This excellent article by @alexlauer.bsky.social considers ICE protest songs, many by Minneapolis musicians whom he interviews, and the role of music in protests. I was privileged to offer comments. www.insidehook.com/music/ice-pr...
This Machine Melts ICE: The Protest Songs Galvanizing Minneapolis, and Now the Entire Country
Minnesota musicians processed their grief through song and inspired countless others in the process. Now, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews are amplifying the message.
www.insidehook.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:05 PM
This excellent article by @alexlauer.bsky.social considers ICE protest songs, many by Minneapolis musicians whom he interviews, and the role of music in protests. I was privileged to offer comments. www.insidehook.com/music/ice-pr...
"It’s our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies"
I also appreciate the ironic evocation of the national anthem, and that the samples of protesters' chants haven't been edited to fit the music's tempo, allowing them to coexist like sounds at a protest.
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies"
I also appreciate the ironic evocation of the national anthem, and that the samples of protesters' chants haven't been edited to fit the music's tempo, allowing them to coexist like sounds at a protest.
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 7:46 PM
"It’s our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies"
I also appreciate the ironic evocation of the national anthem, and that the samples of protesters' chants haven't been edited to fit the music's tempo, allowing them to coexist like sounds at a protest.
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem’s dirty lies"
I also appreciate the ironic evocation of the national anthem, and that the samples of protesters' chants haven't been edited to fit the music's tempo, allowing them to coexist like sounds at a protest.
I’ve actually been transcribing protest chants since the 2010s. Since the 2017 Women’s March, I’ve put them up here: medium.com/@norikomanabe
Noriko Manabe – Medium
Read writing from Noriko Manabe on Medium. Music prof researching music & social movements, popular music, music/language. Editor, Oxford Handbook of Protest Music, 33-1/3 Japan. http://linktr.ee/nman...
medium.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:16 PM
I’ve actually been transcribing protest chants since the 2010s. Since the 2017 Women’s March, I’ve put them up here: medium.com/@norikomanabe
Thanks for posting!
January 28, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Thanks for posting!
Here is my second blogpost on ICE protest songs and chants, from the Minnesota general strike and after Alex Pretti’s killing, with a large section on singing at protests and more songs about ICE. medium.com/@norikomanab...
ICE protest songs and chants, Minnesota general strike (January 23) and beyond
Transcriptions of songs and chants at ICE protests. Songs about ICE’s masculinity issues and other issues connected with ICE.
medium.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Here is my second blogpost on ICE protest songs and chants, from the Minnesota general strike and after Alex Pretti’s killing, with a large section on singing at protests and more songs about ICE. medium.com/@norikomanab...
Social media varies, but BlueSky is pretty open. Twitter has become unusable; I only still have an account there because many Japanese people I follow haven’t migrated out of it.
January 28, 2026 at 11:48 AM
Social media varies, but BlueSky is pretty open. Twitter has become unusable; I only still have an account there because many Japanese people I follow haven’t migrated out of it.
The mainstream media in the US is controlled by a small number of Republican billionaires (eg Bezos owns the Washington Post, Ellison owns CBS News), and formerly liberal outlets like the NYTimes has been cowed into submission. Many Americans read non-US outlets like the BBC or the Guardian instead.
January 28, 2026 at 11:45 AM
The mainstream media in the US is controlled by a small number of Republican billionaires (eg Bezos owns the Washington Post, Ellison owns CBS News), and formerly liberal outlets like the NYTimes has been cowed into submission. Many Americans read non-US outlets like the BBC or the Guardian instead.
It’s good that he said this, unlike W. But the first paragraph shows his denialism. We are, evidently, a country that guns down its citizens in the street. That is a problem, and it needs to be recognized and resisted.
January 27, 2026 at 9:23 PM
It’s good that he said this, unlike W. But the first paragraph shows his denialism. We are, evidently, a country that guns down its citizens in the street. That is a problem, and it needs to be recognized and resisted.
That having been said, for many countries (eg UK, France, Japan), the governmental capital is the same as the city with the most economic capital, and their biggest papers are in those cities--London, Paris, Tokyo. That's not the case in the US--NYC isn't the capital.
January 26, 2026 at 10:57 PM
That having been said, for many countries (eg UK, France, Japan), the governmental capital is the same as the city with the most economic capital, and their biggest papers are in those cities--London, Paris, Tokyo. That's not the case in the US--NYC isn't the capital.
I agree with you that repetition is key to helping participation along. Thomas Turino talks about this nature of participatory music in the second chapter of this book. Many protest songs, esp. Freedom Songs, have this characteristic. press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Music as Social Life
People around the world and throughout history have used music to express their inner emotions, reach out to the divine, woo lovers, celebrate weddings, inspire political movements, and lull babies to...
press.uchicago.edu
January 26, 2026 at 2:47 PM
I agree with you that repetition is key to helping participation along. Thomas Turino talks about this nature of participatory music in the second chapter of this book. Many protest songs, esp. Freedom Songs, have this characteristic. press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Many thanks for letting me know about your song! I've included it in the blogpost in a subsection titled "other participatory singing," since the song seemed well-designed for a call-and-response. Thank you again!
January 26, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Many thanks for letting me know about your song! I've included it in the blogpost in a subsection titled "other participatory singing," since the song seemed well-designed for a call-and-response. Thank you again!
Thank you - I've made that correction.
January 26, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Thank you - I've made that correction.
it's also happening on X as you know, and seems to be happening somewhat on Threads.
January 26, 2026 at 3:10 AM
it's also happening on X as you know, and seems to be happening somewhat on Threads.
That's very nice! I like the constant refrain, "chip, chip, chipping away at the ICE."
January 26, 2026 at 2:27 AM
That's very nice! I like the constant refrain, "chip, chip, chipping away at the ICE."
Here's the first blogpost on ICE protest chants and songs, from January 13. medium.com/@norikomanab...
“ICE out for good” protests, January 8–11, 2026
Chants and Songs at ICE protests
medium.com
January 26, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Here's the first blogpost on ICE protest chants and songs, from January 13. medium.com/@norikomanab...
I've written this blogpost on ICE protest chants & songs, w/ a large section of transcriptions of singing at protests by faith leaders and the Singing Resistance. It also includes songs about ICE agents' perceived masculinity issues and new songs protesting ICE. medium.com/@norikomanab...
ICE protest songs and chants, Minnesota general strike (January 23) and beyond
Transcriptions of singing at ICE protests by faith leaders and protesters. Songs about ICE’s masculinity issues. Other songs about the ICE…
medium.com
January 25, 2026 at 11:02 PM
I've written this blogpost on ICE protest chants & songs, w/ a large section of transcriptions of singing at protests by faith leaders and the Singing Resistance. It also includes songs about ICE agents' perceived masculinity issues and new songs protesting ICE. medium.com/@norikomanab...
Reposted by Noriko Manabe
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
January 25, 2026 at 5:39 PM
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
Survey after survey is showing that nearly 2/3 of US voters disapprove of ICE's actions. It's time Republicans were reminded of that.
January 24, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Survey after survey is showing that nearly 2/3 of US voters disapprove of ICE's actions. It's time Republicans were reminded of that.
especially the Republicans.
January 24, 2026 at 5:12 PM
especially the Republicans.
Reposted by Noriko Manabe
I called yesterday and will call again today. If you’re new to it, 5calls.org has got your back.
January 24, 2026 at 4:58 PM
I called yesterday and will call again today. If you’re new to it, 5calls.org has got your back.