Palestine's Musical History

Class Description

Regional and global music scenes are not usually the first things that come to mind when Palestine comes up, but it is a story worth discovering together. In this class, we’ll go through the history of modern Palestine by chasing the stories of people who worked to produce music. Most of each class will be devoted to a presentation by the instructor on how Palestine has figured, musically, into the history of the recording industry, radio broadcasting in the context of broader historical changes. The last part of each class will be left open for a discussion on a playlist the instructor will share the week before.

All virtual classes are recorded and made available to participants registered in the class. These recordings are password-protected and available for up to two weeks after the class ends.

Hazem Jamjoum is a music curator and archivist in London (Britain). His doctoral research focused on the beginnings of the music industry in the eastern Mediterranean region.

What to Expect

Format: Virtual

Class Capacity: 18

Class Style: Mix of lecture and discussion; participation encouraged

Materials List

Required

• Ghassan Kanafani, The Revolution of 1936-1939 in Palestine. 1804 Books, 2023. ISBN: 9781736850046.

• Wasif Jawhariyyeh, The Storyteller of Jerusalem: The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948. Olive Branch Press, 2013. ISBN: 9781566569255.

• Other Instructor-Distributed Materials

First Reading

• Please read Part 1, "The Ottoman Era" of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, The Storyteller of Jerusalem: The Life and Times of Wasif Jawhariyyeh, 1904-1948, Olive Branch Press, 2013.

A Brief Syllabus

1. Musical Life in Ottoman Palestine
2. Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Early Recording Era
3. The Musicians’ Nakba
4. Refugees and the Musics of Exile and Return
5. Sounding our Liberation

Cost and Registration

5 Sessions, $200 ($180 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

We offer our classes at three different price options: Regular ($200), Community Supported ($185), and Sponsor ($215). Following the models of other institutions, we want to ensure that our classes are accessible to a wider audience while continuing to support our instructors. You may choose the price that best fits your situation when registering through Learning Stream.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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Call us at (312) 255-3700 or send us an email at adulteducation@newberry.org.

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