Palestinian Music and Song

Drawing from a long history of indigenous traditions and incorporating diverse influences of surrounding cultures, music in Palestine and among the millions of Palestinians in diaspora offers a unique window on cultural and political events of the past century. From the perspective of scholars, performers, composers, and activists, Palestinian Music and Song examines the many ways in which music has been a force of representation, nation building, and social action. From the turn of the 20th century, when Palestine became an exotic object of fascination for missionaries and scholars, to 21st-century transnational collaborations in hip hop and new media, this volume traces the conflicting dynamics of history and tradition, innovation and change, power and resistance.

Stig-Magnus Thorsén is Professor Emeritus of Music and Society at the Academy of Music and Drama, Gothenburg University. His books include Music and Identity: Transformation and Negotiation and Social and Political Features of Music in Africa.

Moslih Kanaaneh is a social anthropologist in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Birzeit University. His books include Talking Stones and Yearning Ruins.

Heather Bursheh is a performing musician and flute instructor at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where she has also served as Deputy Director for Academic Affairs and Musical Director of the Palestine Orchestras.

David A. McDonald is Assistant Professor of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University Bloomington and author of My Voice Is My Weapon: Music, Nationalism, and the Poetics of Palestinian Resistance.