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Palestinian Hip-Hop Culture: Intermediality, Access Points, and a Movement Towards the Mainstream
Abstract
In her book, Jil Oslo, Sunaina Maira details how various mediums such as graffiti, performance, and song lyrics contribute to Palestinian hip-hop as both a source of political consciousness and, as she argues, a youth subculture. However, the work of Tamer Nafar, Palestine’s premier rap artist, suggests that Palestinian hip-hop is neither a subculture nor solely directed at Palestinian youth. Furthermore, though Maira acknowledges many of the art forms at work in the Palestinian hip-hop genre, she does not explore the significance of them appearing simultaneously. By only identifying the presence of multiple art forms in the genre, Maira fails to acknowledge how their presence influences the ways in which the genre interacts with society and spills into the mainstream. This paper utilizes Erika Fischer-Lichte’s theory of “intermediality,” which refers to the combination and interaction of multiple art forms, to reconcile the presence of literature, music, performance, film, and other genres within the Palestinian hip-hop genre. Fischer-Lichte also conceives of intermediality as the fusion of art and nonart and thus provides a framework for discussing the multifunctionality of Palestinian hip-hop in broader Palestinian society. I intend to leverage intermediality as a guide through which I will amalgamate Nafar’s song lyrics, film projects, past performances, interviews, and social media presence. I then aim to tie this evidence to an analysis of various documentary films and ethnographic work done by other scholars. Through this approach, this paper intends to demonstrate that Palestinian hip-hop is a multimedia cultural movement that blends multiple forms of art at every possible stage: inspiration, production, and integration into society. As a genre characterized by intermediality and multifunctionality, Palestinian hip-hop transcends cultural, social, and political boundaries to offer anyone and everyone an access point to resistance. This research helps us understand how creative work, when coupled with resistance and characterized by intermediality, straddles the boundaries between art, politics, news media, and education to make a widely accessible form of creative resistance.
Discipline
Art/Art History
Geographic Area
Palestine
West Bank
Sub Area
None