Fairouz and the Arab Diaspora

Fairouz is a household name in the Arab world. She alongside Umm Kulthum of Egypt has been indispensable to the modern construction of the cultural and musical heritage of Arab societies. Dima Issa's study illuminates Fairouz's wide reach among Arab diaspora, astutely analysing her beginnings and her rise as a gifted woman amidst fraught political conditions in Lebanon. It is hard to imagine a more remarkable study than Dima's on this topic. * Dr Atef Alshaer, University Of Westminister * In this singular and sophisticated study examining the legendary Lebanese singer Fairouz and the role her music plays in the lives of her listeners, Dima Issa shows us how central Fairuz is to Arabs in the diaspora and how, paradoxically, the further away you are from Fairouz, the closer she is to you. * Moustafa Bayoumi, Author of 'How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America' * In 'Fairouz and the Arab Diaspora,' Dima Issa has penned an original contribution to our understanding of the connections between music, identity, and location. Lyrically evoking a family life 'filled with love, food, and Fairouz,' Issa demonstrates the centrality of the Lebanese icon to Arab identity from Doha to London. In this theoretically rich text, Fairouz emerges as an effective portal for a dizzying multitude of aesthetic predispositions and identity postures. A rich, evocative work deserving of a wide readership. * Marwan M. Kraidy, Northwestern University in Qatar *