Graduation Term
2023
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
School of Communication
Committee Chair
Phillip Chidester
Abstract
As episodes of mass displacement become the subject of worldwide headlines, the news media discourse on refugees seems often to reduce the refugee experience to either depictions of helpless victims or threatening foreigners. However, dynamic media such as music can prove a useful avenue through which refugeeism may be creatively discussed in a new light. Utilizing a counternarrative lens, this thesis presents a textual analysis of music albums from K’naan, M.I.A., and Wyclef Jean, prominent refugee musicians who utilize global expressions of rap to address refugee experiences. Through both points of shared realities and individual perspectives, these artists engage in a music of refuge to challenge dominant narratives of refugees by adding human complexities and a sense of agency to their own stories.
Access Type
Thesis-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Villela, Henrique, "Global Sounds: Uncovering Music from Popular Refugees as a Space for Counternarratives" (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 1711.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/1711
DOI
https://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2023.20230711063203130745.999940