ABSTRACT
the Lebanese Civil War ended in 1990, but political tension within Lebanon and especially with neighboring Israel remained high. According to anthropologist Samir Khalaf, one result of the trauma of war was the “vulgarization and impoverishment of public life” (2002:232–233). Today, the musicians are surrounded by commercialism. Lebanese pop music became pan-Arabic pop. Change is closely linked to developments in mass media. the pop music industry increasingly turned into a video clip industry. Today, Arabic pop music is aired via various satellite channels on stations like Rotana. It is a “music world” that most of the musicians in this book oppose. Hammond calls it the “Satellite Revolution” and offers detailed analysis (2007a:205–236).
