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Dr. Soumaya Abdellatif is the Head of the Sociology Department at Ajman University, where she leads a team of faculty and researchers in conducting sociological studies on a wide range of topics, with a particular focus on the Arab world and beyond. With over a decade of experience in teaching, research, and project coordination in the fields of sociology, anthropology, and gender studies, Dr. Abdellatif is committed to advancing knowledge and fostering academic excellence. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Strasbourg, France, and has served as the Head of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Center at Ajman University since January 2023. Dr. Abdellatif is an active member of several international and regional academic networks, including the International Sociological Association (ISA), Project Redemar (funded by the French National Agency for Research), and the Center for Anthropology and African Studies in Sousse. Her extensive academic involvement includes participation in various doctoral schools and training programs in Switzerland, Canada, France, Tunisia, and Jordan. She also serves as a scientific coordinator for regional studies in the Middle East and North Africa and is an expert in gender at the Arab Women's Center for Training and Research (CAWTAR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Dr. Abdellatif's research interests include kinship, the sociology of the family, gender, social networks, migration, and identity. She is dedicated to making significant contributions to the study and understanding of social dynamics in the contemporary world.
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The paper examines the meanings of the new configuration of Sufi music through "Al Ziara" performances and the intense youth interest in this musical genre, through crosscutting with the issue of cultural belonging and shaping the salient features of identity given the intertwining of the Sufi chanting and its related practices with popular culture. Based on a qualitative approach, in which were applied half-directed interviews technique and focus groups with 20 young men and women from different states of the Republic of Tunisia, the study pointed out the role of Sufi music in its results dissolving the dichotomy between tradition and modernity. This tendency is manifested through the restoration of cultural elements inherent in the cultural heritage at the spiritual and social level alike, but through the cultural adaptation and renewal of old forms, as well as through the embrace of the ancient and the modern at the technical level. The study revealed the relationship between the resonance that Sufi music senses when represented in “Al Ziara” performances, and the need and desire to belonging despite the different symbolic value of this musical kind and its purposes in terms of its individual (social escalation) and collective (new social links) functions. Keywords: Sufi music, civilization, visit, identity, popular culture, Tunisian youth, belonging.
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