Papers by Montassir Hmala
Journal of Social and Political Sciences, Dec 29, 2023
This article proposes a sociomusicological exploration of Moroccan music, specifically highlighti... more This article proposes a sociomusicological exploration of Moroccan music, specifically highlighting how musical taste can be a strong tool for analysing social change. Using a qualitative design, the study focuses on two main variables: identity and social values. Moreover, it examines two key sociomusiocological dimensions: music diffusion and consumption. Eighteen artists, including music composers, lyricists, and singers participated in the study through semi structured interviews. The content analysis of transcriptions revealed seven main themes: music's function as entertainment, the hybrid / ambiguous musical taste, the hidden agenda, music broadcast reconsideration, (social) media and musical socialization, Moroccan values and the need for censorship, and the "danger" to the Moroccan musical identity. The findings demonstrate a noticeable shift in consumers' general musical taste, attributed to significant changes in music diffusion and consumption patterns. Consequently, this shift has a profound impact on consumers' identity and social values. Therefore, the study suggests that Moroccan society is currently experiencing significant social changes.
Over time, the politics of anxiety has increased the tension of winning elections in Nigeria. Thi... more Over time, the politics of anxiety has increased the tension of winning elections in Nigeria. This anxiety propels candidates or party members to resort to unethical practices such as violence in a bid to win elections because politics in Nigeria has become a zero-sum game. Candidates and political parties prepare for election with the mindset of winning by all cost, including engaging in pre-electoral, Election Day and post-election violence. Hence, the act of violence has been entrenched in Nigeria's political space, such that every election cycle both governments, non-governmental organizations and international community engage in progammes that promotes peaceful election. The study is aimed at examining electoral violence from Nigeria's First Republic to date and its human security implications on democratic advancement in Nigeria. The paper adopted the culture of violence theory as its theoretical construct. The content analysis was used in the interpretation of secondary data. The paper recommends amongst others to strengthen the electoral management board and enforce relevant laws on perpetrators of electoral violence.
This article proposes a sociomusicological exploration of Moroccan music, specifically highlighti... more This article proposes a sociomusicological exploration of Moroccan music, specifically highlighting how musical taste can be a strong tool for analysing social change. Using a qualitative design, the study focuses on two main variables: identity and social values. Moreover, it examines two key sociomusiocological dimensions: music diffusion and consumption. Eighteen artists, including music composers, lyricists, and singers participated in the study through semi structured interviews. The content analysis of transcriptions revealed seven main themes: music's function as entertainment, the hybrid / ambiguous musical taste, the hidden agenda, music broadcast reconsideration, (social) media and musical socialization, Moroccan values and the need for censorship, and the "danger" to the Moroccan musical identity. The findings demonstrate a noticeable shift in consumers' general musical taste, attributed to significant changes in music diffusion and consumption patterns. Consequently, this shift has a profound impact on consumers' identity and social values. Therefore, the study suggests that Moroccan society is currently experiencing significant social changes.
Throughout history, music has served as a significant medium for recording diverse narratives and... more Throughout history, music has served as a significant medium for recording diverse narratives and expressing the needs, aspirations, and experiences of individuals and groups. This article examines the multifaceted roles of music within the context of diaspora, focusing specifically on the Moroccan Jewish community. By delving into the experiences of five prominent Moroccan Jewish artists who are members of this community, this study sheds light on the profound ways in which Moroccan music bridges the past and present, reconnects individuals and groups with their sociocultural roots, and firmly affirms both individual and collective identities. Drawing from a qualitative research approach that leverages semi-structured interviews with these prominent Moroccan Jewish artists, this research uncovers how Moroccan music, in its various forms, operates as a powerful tool for asserting identity, transmitting and preserving culture, and ensuring generational continuity within the diaspora. The content analysis of these interviews identifies five main themes that elucidate the intricate roles of music in this context: cultural and emotional connection, cognitive connection, the significance of sonic narratives, the role of textual and linguistic narratives, and the importance of Andalusian and Malhoune music.
Montassir Hmala , 2023
This article presents a scientific recording of a two-term intercultural musical experience that ... more This article presents a scientific recording of a two-term intercultural musical experience that took place in October 2018 and March 2019 in a high school in Beaune la Rolande, France. It explores the crucial role that music can play in developing and strengthening intercultural communication (IC) and cultural intelligence (CI), specifically in intercultural educational contexts. To achieve this and drawing on Allport's (1956) Contact Hypothesis Theory (CHT) and Bennett's (1953) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), a qualitative research design was chosen, with focus group discussions; involving participating students, and semi-structured interviews with three teachers and the high school principal as the main techniques for data collection. The thematic content analysis of the data resulted in the emergence of six main themes: Anxiety/Scepticism, Resistance, Discovery, Appreciation, Openness, and Transformation. The findings of the study concretely demonstrated that exposure to forging music could have a tangible impact on students' development of intercultural communication and cultural intelligence skills.
The PhD experience stands for one of the most challenging and demanding phases that Moroccan stud... more The PhD experience stands for one of the most challenging and demanding phases that Moroccan students may undergo in their academic career. Its difficulty relates to many interrelated factors that include the student researcher, their prerequisites in terms of knowledge, abilities, skills and, thus, competencies, and most importantly their capacity to be an active and a dynamic actor within this learning /
The PhD experience stands for one of the most challenging and demanding phases that Moroccan stud... more The PhD experience stands for one of the most challenging and demanding phases that Moroccan students may undergo in their academic career. Its difficulty relates to many interrelated factors that include the student researcher, their prerequisites in terms of knowledge, abilities, skills and, thus, competencies, and most importantly their capacity to be an active and a dynamic actor within this learning / training context. The latter dynamism basically relates to and depends on the quality of relationship doctoral students may develop with their supervisors. It is worth pointing out, in this sense, that the supervisor, having the crucial responsibility of managing the whole doctoral journey, has been traditionally considered to be the 26 DDET 2022║3 rd International Conference on Developments in Doctoral Education & Training success key factor. As such, the type and nature of bonds that relate them to supervisees determine, to a great extent, the outputs of any doctoral journey. Within this perspective, this study qualitatively explores the supervisor / supervisee relationship and its impact on the launching, development and completion of Moroccan students' PhD projects. Ten participants took part in this inquiry: five professors and five doctoral students belonging to French and English departments in four different faculties: the FLSH of Fez Saiss and Dhar Mehraz of Fez, the FLSH of Kenitra and the FLSH of Meknes. Data collection procedures included semi structured interviews with professors and doctoral students, in addition to content compilation of three Facebook pages that belong to doctoral students. Data analysis relied on a thematic content analysis of, first, transcribed interviews and, second, of doctoral students' views, comments, interactions and evaluations of their own experiences that are shared on their Facebook pages. Results comprised six main themes: mutual respect and professionalism, positive reciprocity, lack of communication, weak prerequisites, irresponsibility and alternation. Further research is needed specifically within a quantitative configuration that would permit the widening of both samples and geographical areas and would, thus, lead to generalization of conclusions.
The PhD experience stands for one of the most challenging and demanding phases that Moroccan stud... more The PhD experience stands for one of the most challenging and demanding phases that Moroccan students may undergo in their academic career. Its difficulty relates to many interrelated factors that include the student researcher, their prerequisites in terms of knowledge, abilities, skills and, thus, competencies, and most importantly their capacity to be an active and a dynamic actor within this learning /
Uploads
Papers by Montassir Hmala