WestminsterResearch http://www.westminster.ac.uk/westminsterresearch Song is the Secret of of Existence: Fairouz and the Arab Diaspora in London and Doha Issa, D. This is an electronic version of a PhD thesis awarded by the University of Westminster. © Ms Dima Issa, 2019. The WestminsterResearch online digital archive at the University of Westminster aims to make the research output of the University available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the authors and/or copyright owners. Whilst further distribution of specific materials from within this archive is forbidden, you may freely distribute the URL of WestminsterResearch: ((http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/). In case of abuse or copyright appearing without permission e-mail
[email protected] SONG IS THE SECRET OF EXISTENCE: FAIROUZ AND THE ARAB DIASPORA IN LONDON AND DOHA DIMA ISSA A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY July 2019 Abstract Nestling in the hearts and minds of her listeners, the Lebanese singer and performer, Fairouz, travels across land and seas, offering gentle reminders of the past or inspiring hope for the future. With the objective of exploring the role that Fairouz plays in the lives of the Arab diaspora, this project examines possible identity constructions and concepts of belonging, investigating how Fairouz factors in diasporic space and how her music offers opportunities to navigate individual and social positions in such space. Through an ethnographic study, focusing on in-depth interviews, narratives of 59 members of the Arab diaspora living in Doha, Qatar and London, England were heard, understood and categorised thematically, highlighting how music can elucidate and situate experiences of migration, positioning listeners on a fluctuating continuum, which moves beyond standard private and public lines of domesticity, nationalism and religion.