Arabic popular culture and the idea of ‘pop’

Abstract

Arabic Popular Culture has been an object of academic curiosity in many fields of study, such as literature, anthropology, or sociolinguistics. Within the context of Near Eastern and North African cultural history, the concept has often been left undefined or has been limited to societal practices of the so-called lower classes. Accordingly, it has been described as standing in opposition to the prestigious artistic and intellectual production of more fortunate and powerful circles. This understanding is comprehensible but ignores phenomena of popular culture which cannot be meaningfully explained by societal categorizations only. Examples include American and British pop are as well as German Popliteratur. These art movements have repercussions on the comprehension of popular culture itself and may act independently from social boundaries. Hence, this article discusses some aspects of recent studies on Arabic popular culture and explores the possibilities of extending its theoretical framework to aesthetical considerations. By taking into account pop art and Popliteratur, it concludes: Arabic 'pop' has emancipated itself from the conceptual limitations of a merely sociopolitical definition.