ABSTRACT

Metal, Rap, and Electro in Tunisia is a trip into the music scenes of Tunisia after the Arab Springs. Based on extensive field research, the book explores the social life of heavy metal, rap, and electronic music in a North African country whose mass revolution of 2010/2011 led the way to a troubled and yet unique democracy. What is it like to be part of a music scene in a place affected by poverty and inequality? How do the many conflicted souls of Tunisian Islam shape local metal, rap, and electro? What are the social and cultural stakes for music in a nation constantly represented as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East? How do music scenes articulate the complex political scenario that followed the Tunisian revolution of 2011? Barone answers these questions by offering new theoretical reflections on youth cultures and popular music in a global perspective, and thus pushing the debate on "post-subcultures" and scenes forward. At the same time, the book offers a dense sociological analysis of youth and music in reality - the Tunisian one - whose society, culture, religion, and politics are at stake in a historical transformation.

chapter |14 pages

Introduction

Trash in the dustbin, clubbing stormtroopers, and a phoenix that struggles to rise again

part 1|2 pages

Fragile scenes

chapter 1|18 pages

From subculture to sceneness

chapter 2|15 pages

Corpses and still no life

The “heinous collapse” of Tunisian metal

chapter 3|15 pages

People in the corner

The weird success of rap

chapter 4|15 pages

Downtown vibes

Electronic music and clubbing in Tunisia

part 2|2 pages

Shades of the local

chapter 6|24 pages

Tales of the sands

Ideoscapes of Tunisian-ness

chapter 7|18 pages

Only for good people

Scenes, lifestyles, and the Tunisian social structure

chapter 8|18 pages

We’re not for sale

The political dimension of Tunisian scenes

chapter |5 pages

Conclusion

Save your life