War Cries Introduction

On November 8, 2008, Coventry Cathedral became the site of a multimedia blitz, a public event which included a screening of the film Unravelling directed by Kuldip Powar (with an original score by Nitin Sawhney) and a performance of Post-Colonial War Requiem composed by Francis Silkstone, that capped a day-long symposium on "War, Sound and Postcoloniality." Curated by Nirmal Puwar and Sanjay Sharma, this occupation of the Cathedral represented the finale of the Noise of the Past project, which was dedicated to evoking the amnesia in official memory of the role of the colonies during both the First and Second World Wars. Without buttressing nationalism and militarism, Noise of the Past interrupted the accepted silences of remembrance, especially at a time when Britain continues to participate in "new" global wars and increasingly conducts nation-making via war memorialization. This special issue is devoted to documenting and exploring the implications of the Noise of the Past project.