Arab Folksongs and Palestinian Identity

This article is an attempt to introduce Palestinian folksongs to the non-Arab reader. It will try to give a glimpse of Palestinian folklore necessary to establish a frame which will make focusing on folksongs possible. The article will also discuss the relevant performance before the Intifadạ (it broke out on December 9th, 1987) and what negative and positive effects the Intifadạ had on folksongs. Then, it will proceed to investigate the general Arab concept of identity and the changes which affected its historical development prior to this, in relation to Palestinian national identity. Following this theoretical part, it elaborates on the role of the Palestinian folksong in the service and promotion of the Palestinian Cause and Identity, ending up with appropriate examples of relevant folksongs appended with a corresponding translation in English.