“Pop Culture of the Middle East” is an interdisciplinary project created out of the graduate seminar on “Popular Culture, Politics, & Identity: Ethnography of Media and Minorities of the Middle East” at Georgetown University. Although previously dismissed as epiphenomenal with little (or no) impact on “real life”, this course and its discussions proceed from the idea that popular culture and performance are in fact foundational means for negotiating power, debating ideology, displaying intersectionality, and mediating social interactions between ethnic/religious groups. As explorers of Middle Eastern history, language, and culture, we are showcasing and pioneering innovative research being done across the region and on/from its plural communities. Please read, listen, and peruse our thoughts and projects on popular culture in the Middle East!
