The Power of Rock and Roll
Professor Sean Kay Discusses Topic in New Commentary
DELAWARE, Ohio – Rock and roll, says Ohio Wesleyan University professor Sean Kay, PhD., “has been a fundamentally important source of American influence in the world.”
And yet, Kay writes in a newly published commentary, “we are putting this element of American power at risk.”
Kay shares his thoughts in an April 12 article, “Rock and Roll and American Power,” published by the online political magazine, War on the Rocks.
In the commentary, Kay discusses the lessons he learned while researching and writing his newest book, “Rockin’ the Free World!: How the Rock & Roll Revolution Changed America and the World.”
Rock and roll, he states, means more than simply music. “It is an ethic. And it has served to reinforce the best of what America stands for — freedom, equality, human rights, and peace.”
Kay’s book includes interviews with musicians, industry insiders, journalists, and activists including two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Graham Nash, a member of both Crosby, Stills and Nash and the Hollies.
“I have children. I have grandchildren,” Nash told Kay. “I’ve got to remain positive. I’ve got to think that I can help make the world a better place for myself and my family and my friends. Everything starts inside, doesn’t it? How far can the ripples go once you throw that stone into the pool.”
At Ohio Wesleyan, Kay has been a member of the Department of Politics and Government since 1999. He also is an associate of the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University and a fellow at the Eisenhower Institute in Washington, D.C.
His other books include “NATO and the Future of European Security”; “Celtic Revival: The Rise, Fall, and Renewal of Global Ireland”; “America’s Search for Security: The Triumph of Idealism and the Return of Realism”; and “Global Security in the Twenty-first Century: The Quest for Power and the Search for Peace.”