Sophie Frankford

University of Oxford, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography

2023 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

"Sha‘bi Music and Struggles over “the Popular”: Class, Space and Emotion in Contemporary Cairo"

We are delighted to present Sophie Frankford with the honorable mention. Dr. Frankford dissertation Sha‘bi Music and Struggles over “the Popular”: Class, Space and Emotion in Contemporary Cairo, analyzes the social, cultural, and political connections of Sha’bi music as a popular genre, yet underappreciated. In her dissertation, Dr. Frankford examines the emotional response of the audience, the role of the practitioners, the vital discourse around it, and the reader gets insights into the urban classes in Cairo. The research and combination of ethnographic methodologies together with class and discourse analysis created a fascinating account.

The dissertation was completed at the University of Oxford in the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography under the co-supervision of Walter Armbrust and Zuzanna Olszewska

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