Flowing Beyond Sectarian Ethno-politics: Ethnography of Jewish and Arab Rap in Israel

Authorship, subjectivity and resistance in the mainstream: A lesson from Israeli rap

“…Such a perception made it possible to overcome internal differences within the group and peers remained for the most part highly tolerant towards social positions or political messages conveyed by others. 8 This situation further supports the claim I have made elsewhere (Dorchin, 2015c), according to which the globalization of rap promotes not only politics of differentiation but also politics of recognition. 9…”

“… 8. A clash between the Jewish rapper Subliminal and his Palestinian-Israeli colleague Tamer Nafar became rather famous precisely because it is an exception in the relationships between local rappers. As I have previously shown (Dorchin, 2015c), even this unusual case demonstrates dimensions of similarity between the two rivals and serves as a basis for a constructive dialogue between them. …”

“…This case is especially interesting because these rappers and their affiliated audiences often compare themselves to black minorities (Arab Palestinians) or literally identify as part of the African Diaspora (Jewish Ethiopians) (see Djerrahian, 2015; McDonald, 2013). Nevertheless, and regardless of their explicit criticism of the Israeli establishment that discriminates against them, performers belonging to these groups consistently collaborate with peer rappers and utilize rap to claim participation instead of preaching seclusion from the larger society (Dorchin, 2015c).…”