Rhythms of Resistance in Palestine: Political Socialization, Ideology and Cultural Performativity Within Hamas Anthems

Abstract

This study examines the role of anthems in political socialization within Islamic movements in Palestine, focusing on Hamas. By analyzing the themes in 100 anthems popular among Hamas supporters between 1980 and 2012, this research investigates how these songs reflect the intellectual foundations of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Key questions addressed include: How do anthems contribute to understanding political socialization within Middle Eastern Islamic movements, particularly in Palestine? What themes do they convey, and how do they trace the historical evolution of Hamas’s political narratives? Drawing on Judith Butler and Gayatri Spivak’s insights in Who Sings the Nation-State, this study conceptualizes “culture as a performative space” where resistance is operationalized and mobilized by the oppressed. It highlights anthems as expressions of Palestinian subjectivity, ideology, and symbolic power, analyzing the stages of resistance through space, practice, and discourse while positioning political anthems as symbols of resistance and cultural performativity.

Keywords: political socialization, culture performativity, resistance, content analysis, Hamas, anthems