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This book fills the gap in existing literature by exploring other forms of political discourses in non-Western rap music. Theoretically, it challenges and explores resistance, arguing towards the need for different epistemological frameworks in which to look at narratives of cultural resistance in the Arabic-speaking world. Empirically, it provides an in-depth look at the politics of rap culture in Morocco. Rap Beyond Resistance bridges the humanities and social sciences in order to de-Westernize cultural studies, presenting the political narratives of the Moroccan rap scene beyond secular liberal meanings of resistance. By exploring what is political, this book brings light to a vibrant and varied rap scene diverse in its political discourses-with an emphasis on patriotism and postcolonial national identity-and uncovers different ways in which young artists are being political beyond 'radical lyrics'.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. Deciphering Moroccan 'Cool'.- 3. Rap and the Revival of Patriotism.- 4. Branding Patriotism, Commodifying Resistance.- 5. Visual Representations of Power: Urban Spaces and Rooftops.- 6. Economies of Resistance.
About the author
Cristina Moreno Almeida is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at King’s College London, UK, and a visiting fellow at the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
Summary
This book fills the gap in existing literature by exploring other forms of political discourses in non-Western rap music. Theoretically, it challenges and explores resistance, arguing towards the need for different epistemological frameworks in which to look at narratives of cultural resistance in the Arabic-speaking world. Empirically, it provides an in-depth look at the politics of rap culture in Morocco. Rap Beyond Resistance bridges the humanities and social sciences in order to de-Westernize cultural studies, presenting the political narratives of the Moroccan rap scene beyond secular liberal meanings of resistance. By exploring what is political, this book brings light to a vibrant and varied rap scene diverse in its political discourses–with an emphasis on patriotism and postcolonial national identity–and uncovers different ways in which young artists are being political beyond ‘radical lyrics’.
