Palestinian Childhoods: The Role of Music in Young Palestinian Lives in a Context of Quotidian Violence and Resistance

Aims: There is a dearth of literature on the significance of music in the lives of Palestinian children living under occupation. This paper seeks to make a conceptual and empirical contribution in understanding the role of music in children’s lives in a conflict zone. Working within a conceptual framework of space and place (Tuan 1979, Shalhoub-Kevorkian 2006), the paper helps advance the notions of homeland, identity, and belonging within a context of conflict.

Context: In 1948, as a consequence of the Israeli-Arab conflict, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians found themselves displaced and dispossessed. Many were forced to migrate to other places to re-establish their homes. Those living in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) including Gaza and the West Bank continue to experience direct and everyday violence. Given this context of displacement and dispossession, we focus on music as a vehicle of influence in the lives of these children.

Methods: By drawing on the most recent and bloody conflict which began on 7 October 2023, this paper examines a total of ten YouTube videos and associated comments to demonstrate how the sounds of music help subdue the sounds of conflict and thereby reflect and shape young Palestinian identities. Through a content analysis of the lyrics of songs and interviews with child musicians, teachers, and audiences, we identify the meaning-making attached to the realm of music.

Findings/Conclusion: Key findings highlight the impact of music on young lives along the lines of resilience and resistance. We illustrate how the sounds of music displace the sounds of air strikes, the sounds of crying, and the sounds of despair. The themes of solace, hope, homeland, and the heterotopia of imagined spaces are also highlighted. This paper carries a broader significance for global childhoods in promoting the role of music in the context of childhood and adversity.