Shamma Hamdan’s songs and persona : a linguistic and literary analysis in the context of contemporary Emirati culture

Abstract

This dissertation looks at how the Emirati singer Shamma Ḥamdan challenges gender expectations in the Gulf through her music, her lyrics, and the way she presents herself as an artist. The three songs analysed are ‘Anā Anā’ ( انأ انأ( ,’ Muʿajaba’ ( ةبجعم( , and ‘Ḥalāl wa Ḥarām’ ( للاح مارحو( . These are read alongside ʾAḥlām’s older song ‘Tadrī Leish’ ( يردت شیل( , which shows how Gulf women were represented in music from the early 2000s in comparison to modern times. The study is qualitative and draws on gender studies, feminist theories , sociolinguistics, and the analysis of song lyrics. The main argument is that Shamma Ḥamdan does not openly fight against Gulf cultural traditions or revolutionizes them. Instead she works within them, but gradually shifts what female identity can look and sound like in Khaleeji music, challenging the socially acceptable traditions, style and gender expectations. Her songs, her voice, and her public image all push against what is usually expected of women in Gulf entertainment, but in a quiet and culturally familiar way. This dissertation also contributes into a relatively unexplored area of research, which is contemporary Gulf music and the role of female artists within it.