The aim of the project “Soundscapes of Warning: The Past, Present, and Futures of Viktigt Meddelande till Allmänheten (VMA)” is to trace the intellectual, political, material, and cultural development trajectories of the Swedish public warning system VMA (Viktigt meddelande till allmänheten / Important Public Announcement) in order to make a substantial and historically informed research contribution to a clear articulation and communication of policy in the area of sonic public warnings in crisis and war.
Over a three-year period (2024–2026), the multi-disciplinary project team will chart, clarify, and analyse the historical conditions, the scientific knowledge production, the information strategies, the infrastructural affordances, and the cultural experiences to evaluate their lingering echoes in today’s policy and legislative landscape.
In addition, the project will make explicit comparisons with surrounding countries, with a particular focus on Denmark, and look to key historical developments as well as the contemporary debate to put the Swedish VMA history and present in a much-needed Nordic perspective.
The overall aim is organised in the project’s work through five subprojects that correspond to how sounds of warning were/are embedded in social life. Four of the are thematic – Knowledge, Information, Infrastructure and Experience – while the fifth is cross-cutting, and brings in Contemporary and Comparative Perspectives.
