My Voice Is My Weapon: Music, Nationalism, and the Poetics of Palestinian Resistance

by David A. McDonald

In My Voice Is My Weapon , David A. McDonald rethinks the conventional history of the Palestinian crisis through an ethnographic analysis of music and musicians, protest songs, and popular culture. Charting a historical narrative that stretches from the late-Ottoman period through the end of the second Palestinian intifada, McDonald examines the shifting politics of music in its capacity to both reflect and shape fundamental aspects of national identity. Drawing case studies from Palestinian communities in Israel, in exile, and under occupation, McDonald grapples with the theoretical and methodological challenges of tracing "resistance" in the popular imagination, attempting to reveal the nuanced ways in which Palestinians have confronted and opposed the traumas of foreign occupation. The first of its kind, this book offers an in-depth ethnomusicological analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, contributing a performative perspective to the larger scholarly conversation about one of the world's most contested humanitarian issues.

Genres: Music

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Layan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I studied the first 5 chapters closely in preparation for my thesis. I skimmed the other parts as well.
McDonald has clearly studied the Palestinian music scene closely. He writes this dissertation based on his ethnographic study on Palestine and Jordan. He experienced occupation, talked with locals, and even participated in their "performances"

[Mills College Library]

780.89927 M1352 2013