Uncovering the Underlying Messages in National Political Songs under the Nasery Regime

Abstract

This study is a Critical study that applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) principles on a group of national songs. The selected songs are by AbdelHalim Hafez due to the fact that he was known to be ‘the voice of the 1952 revolution’. Narrative analysis and features of involvement analysis are conducted on the selected songs. This study attempts to clarify how ‘the self’ is presented against ‘the other’ in national songs under the Nasery regime, the thesis defines who the self is and who the other is. Moreover, it shows the functions of national songs under the Nasery regime as a method of communicating ideologies to the public. This study, also, traces evolution of CDA theory by reviewing the works of Norman Fairclaugh (1989) and Van Dijk (1994, 1999 a. 1999 b, 2001, and 2006). The discursive recourses of manipulation in national songs are uncovered by applying van Dijk’s (1994) ‘Socio-Cognitive Approach’. The study analyzes the narrative structure that is used in national songs under the Nasery regime, and uncovers the ideologies embedded within. On the subsequent section, features of involvement are analyzed; the social implications of these structures and the ideologies they entail are elucidated. The thesis concludes with the findings of the study and recommendations for further research