Chgouri music, a deeply rooted expressive form within Judeo-Moroccan heritage, stands today as more than just a folkloric remnant; it is a living archive—a sonic reservoir where memory, identity, and the longing for reconciliation converge. Emerging from centuries of Jewish life in Morocco, Chgouri has travelled across borders, survived displacement, and been reimagined by generations born far from its original cultural soil. This article examines the multifaceted role of Chgouri as a vehicle of memory transmission, cultural continuity, and identity negotiation among third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews who find themselves navigating a complex terrain of belonging, nostalgia, and hybridity.

At the heart of this inquiry lies a key question: how does a musical tradition like Chgouri function as a medium of intergenerational memory and identity formation in the context of diaspora and cultural fragmentation? To address this, the study employs a case study methodology, grounded in ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, and discourse analysis [1]. The research draws on qualitative data collected during fieldwork in Geneva, where encounters with Moroccan-Jewish artists provided valuable insights into diasporic musical expression, as well as in Moroccan cities such as Marrakech and Essaouira, known for their historical significance to both Jewish and musical heritage.

The first part of this article traces the historical trajectory of Chgouri—from its liturgical and communal roots in Morocco to its near-obsolescence and eventual revival in contemporary diasporic settings. This historical lens is crucial to understanding how Chgouri moved from private memory to public performance, becoming both a site of cultural reclamation and a form of resistance to cultural erasure [2].

Subsequent sections focus on sonic memory and the role of music in preserving emotional and symbolic connections to an imagined homeland [3]. Through personal narratives and lyrical analysis, the study reveals how Chgouri operates as a memory device—carrying voices, landscapes, and spiritualities that have been marginalized in dominant national narratives.

The article then explores how third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews use Chgouri not merely to revisit their grandparents’ traditions, but to craft new hybrid identities that challenge binaries of East/West and Arab/Jew [4]. In this context, music becomes both a tool of psychosocial healing and a platform for cultural agency, particularly in a socio-political climate where Mizrahi voices are still seeking recognition [5].

Finally, this research situates Chgouri within broader discourses of soft diplomacy and cultural reconciliation, arguing that its revival in academic and artistic spaces—such as festivals, university programs, and community workshops—offers pathways for rethinking coexistence and shared history between Muslims and Jews. As such, Chgouri not only preserves the past but becomes a vehicle for imagining more inclusive futures [6].

The article unfolds across seven chapters: beginning with historical and cultural foundations, it proceeds to examine sonic memory, identity formation, and reconciliation before offering methodological reflections and concluding thoughts. Each chapter contributes to a larger theoretical framework rooted in memory studies, diaspora theory, postcolonial critique, and the anthropology of music [7].

(chgouri) emerged from the Judeo-Moroccan communities that historically thrived in key urban centers such as Marrakech, Fès, Essaouira, and Casablanca. This musical form is a sonic testimony to the pluralistic cultural environment of Morocco, reflecting Andalusian, Berber, and Arab influences, while preserving distinct Jewish religious and communal sensibilities.

Rooted in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Chgouri developed within a broader tradition of piyyutim (liturgical poems) and maqam (modal systems), blending spiritual devotion with everyday expressions of longing, joy, and resilience. Historically, Chgouri was performed during Shabbat gatherings, religious holidays (especially Hiloula celebrations of Jewish saints), and life-cycle events such as weddings and circumcisions, making it an essential thread in the fabric of Moroccan Jewish communal life [8].

Musically, Chgouri is marked by:

• Modal improvisation inspired by Andalusian scales (noubas),
• Complex percussive rhythms derived from both Arab and Berber traditions,
• Lyrics rendered in a multilingual tapestry of Arabic, Hebrew, and Haketia—the Judeo-Spanish vernacular once spoken in northern Morocco [9].

Its lyrical content typically oscillates between sacred themes—such as divine yearning, messianic hope, and references to Jerusalem—and secular meditations on exile, memory, and the fragility of belonging. Through this duality, Chgouri operates simultaneously as a repository of religious memory and a vehicle for secular, diasporic identity.

As Moroccan Jews migrated—first internally to larger cities and later internationally, especially to Israel, France, and Canada—Chgouri began to travel across borders, becoming a symbolic link between the homeland and the diaspora. In these movements, its role was not merely nostalgic but generative, contributing to the ongoing re-articulation of Mizrahi identity in postcolonial contexts [10].

Despite marginalization in mainstream Israeli culture, Chgouri has experienced a slow revival, particularly through intergenerational transmission within families, musical workshops, and academic initiatives in both Morocco and abroad. In recent years, efforts to archive and perform Chgouri—such as those by institutions like Bayt Dakira in Essaouira and grassroots groups in Netanya and Ashdod—have reframed it as not merely a relic of the past but a living tradition, rich in interpretive and dialogical potential [4].

Migration and Displacement

The mid-20th century witnessed one of the largest migrations in Moroccan Jewish history, as over 250,000 Moroccan Jews emigrated primarily to Israel, France, Canada, and other parts of the diaspora between 1948 and the early 1970s [11]. This exodus was propelled by multiple intertwined factors: the political upheaval following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the rise of Arab nationalism and regional conflicts, and growing insecurity for Jewish communities in Morocco. The migration was thus not merely a physical relocation but a profound rupture in the cultural, social, and religious fabric of these communities.

For many Moroccan Jews, the departure from Morocco was an ambivalent experience—marked by hope for a new beginning but also by profound loss. Musical traditions like Chgouri, which had flourished in the linguistic and social milieu of Moroccan Jewish life, were intimately tied to the Moroccan environment, its languages, and communal rituals. Consequently, displacement rendered the continuity of such traditions precarious. As the community was uprooted, Chgouri's role as a communal and sacred expression was destabilized, leaving it vulnerable to cultural erosion.

Upon arrival in Israel, Moroccan Jews encountered a society deeply shaped by Ashkenazi-Zionist hegemony that often viewed Mizrahi (Eastern) Jews’ "Arab" customs with suspicion or disdain. This socio-political climate pressured Moroccan Jews to abandon or conceal their heritage in order to assimilate into the dominant cultural narrative.  Chgouri music, once a vibrant public expression of Judeo-Moroccan identity, was relegated to the private sphere, practiced discreetly within homes or closed community gatherings [12]. The silencing of Arab-Jewish culture in public spaces fostered a generational rupture, with younger Israelis increasingly disconnected from their ancestral musical heritage.

This marginalization had far-reaching psychosocial consequences. Ethnographers and scholars have documented how the suppression of Mizrahi cultural forms—including music—contributed to feelings of alienation, identity conflict, and cultural loss among subsequent generations [13]. However, despite these challenges, Chgouri survived through family transmission and clandestine performances, preserving a fragile but resilient link to the past.

In the diaspora, particularly in France and Canada, Moroccan Jews often found slightly more space to express their cultural identities. Here, Chgouri sometimes blended with other musical styles, resulting in hybrid forms that simultaneously preserved tradition and embraced innovation. These diasporic contexts facilitated the gradual revival and reinterpretation of Chgouri, especially as younger generations began seeking to reclaim and revalue their heritage in a postcolonial globalized world [14].

Thus, the migration and displacement of Moroccan Jews profoundly impacted Chgouri’s transmission and function, transforming it from an organic, embedded tradition to a diasporic cultural resource marked by nostalgia, adaptation, and, increasingly, revival.

The Fading and Revival of Cultural Memory

In recent decades, a notable resurgence of interest in Judeo-Moroccan heritage has emerged among third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews, reflecting broader post-Zionist and postcolonial critiques of identity within Israeli society [15]. This revival is intricately linked to a growing reclamation of Mizrahi (Eastern) cultural narratives that had long been marginalized or silenced under the dominant Ashkenazi-Zionist discourse [16]. For many descendants, music functions as a potent mnemonic device, facilitating access to a fragmented and sometimes painful past, while simultaneously fostering a renewed sense of communal belonging and identity.

The resurgence of Chgouri music exemplifies this trend, as it has become a powerful sonic site for memory work—an aural medium through which intergenerational transmission occurs beyond words and written texts [17]. This form of musical memory is embodied and performative, allowing young Israeli-Moroccan Jews to reconnect affectively with their ancestral heritage and to articulate complex identities that straddle multiple histories and geographies. As anthropologist Assal Rad explains, “Music is not just sound; it is a vehicle for belonging, a form of embodied history” [18].

This cultural revival is supported by a network of institutions and initiatives operating across Morocco, Israel, and the wider diaspora. In Morocco, organizations such as the Bayt Dakira (House of Memory) in Essaouira and the Jewish Museum of Casablanca serve as custodians of Judeo-Moroccan heritage, curating archives, organizing festivals, and facilitating educational programs centered on musical traditions like Chgouri [19]. These institutions play a critical role in safeguarding fragile cultural memories and providing platforms for dialogue between Jewish and Muslim communities.

In Israel and parts of Europe, younger generations of musicians, ethnomusicologists, and cultural activists have taken up the task of reconstructing Chgouri repertoires and reviving performance practices. Collaborations between older community members—often survivors or witnesses of earlier eras—and contemporary artists contribute to a dynamic process of cultural regeneration and hybridization. For example, fusion projects that integrate traditional Chgouri melodies with contemporary genres such as electronic music or hip-hop are gaining popularity, signalling both respect for heritage and creative innovation [20].

Moreover, digital media and social networks have played an instrumental role in this revival, enabling the collection, preservation, and dissemination of rare recordings and oral histories. Online platforms provide spaces where dispersed communities can share memories, performances, and scholarly resources, thus overcoming geographical and generational divides [21].

Ultimately, the fading and revival of Chgouri underscore the fluidity and resilience of cultural memory, highlighting how musical traditions can be both endangered and revitalized in contexts marked by displacement and sociopolitical change. This revival not only enriches Jewish-Moroccan cultural landscapes but also opens avenues for intercultural dialogue, reconciliation, and the reimagining of shared histories.

Transcultural Resonances

What distinguishes the revival of Chgouri music is its unique capacity to traverse and transcend cultural, temporal, and spatial boundaries, creating resonances that bridge divergent histories and collective memories. As a sonic form, Chgouri functions as a liminal space where the past converses with the present, and where the complex entanglement of Moroccan, Israeli, Jewish, and Muslim identities is both expressed and negotiated without succumbing to simplification or erasure [22].

Unlike nationalist or exclusivist cultural expressions that emphasize purity and homogeneity, the resurgence of Chgouri embodies hybridity and fluidity—key concepts in contemporary cultural theory, particularly within postcolonial and diasporic studies. It serves as a medium through which individuals and communities can embrace multiple, overlapping identities, recognizing that cultural belonging is not a fixed or singular category but a dynamic process shaped by history, migration, and memory.

This transcultural dynamic is especially salient given the historical tensions and conflicts that have shaped Jewish-Muslim relations in both Morocco and the broader Middle East. Chgouri’s revival offers a sonic counter-narrative—a form of cultural diplomacy that enables dialogue and empathy through shared musical heritage [23]. The music’s performance and reception generate spaces for intercultural exchange and mutual recognition, which are crucial for processes of reconciliation and peace-building in contexts often marked by division.

Moreover, the performative and affective power of Chgouri invites listeners and performers alike to inhabit identities that are simultaneously rooted in heritage and open to transformation. As ethnomusicologist Philip Bohlman notes, music can be a “language of coexistence” that “allows for the expression of difference within a shared sonic space” [24]. Chgouri, in this sense, functions not only as a cultural artifact but as an active agent in reshaping social imaginaries—offering alternative visions of belonging that transcend sectarian binaries.

In practical terms, this transcultural resonance is evident in collaborative projects where Jewish and Muslim artists engage with Chgouri’s repertoire, often reinterpreting it in contemporary idioms that appeal to younger generations [25]. These endeavors highlight the potential of music as a soft power tool capable of fostering understanding, healing, and collective creativity across communities historically perceived as oppositional.

Ultimately, the revival of Chgouri is both a reclamation of lost heritage and a forward-looking articulation of coexistence—a testament to the resilience of cultural memory and its capacity to inspire new modes of solidarity in a fragmented world.

Defining Sonic Memory

The concept of sonic memory encompasses the ways in which cultural, emotional, and historical knowledge is encoded, transmitted, and reactivated through sound, particularly music [1]. Unlike static forms of memory—such as written texts or physical monuments—sonic memory is inherently dynamic and embodied, relying on performance, auditory experience, and communal participation to sustain collective histories [26].

Anthropologists and ethnomusicologists emphasize that music serves as a living archive, a vessel for preserving narratives that might otherwise be lost or marginalized. Through melody, rhythm, and lyrical content, music becomes a powerful medium for evoking places, identities, and experiences that transcend time and geography [27].

In the specific case of Chgouri, this form of sonic memory operates on multiple levels. The musical structures, including modal improvisations and intricate rhythms, recall the historical and spiritual milieu of Moroccan Jewish communities, while the poetic lyrics—often blending Arabic, Hebrew, and Haketia—capture complex emotions of longing, devotion, and nostalgia [28]. These songs do not merely recount history; they reenact it, allowing performers and listeners to inhabit a Morocco that is simultaneously tangible and imagined.

This duality reflects the concept of “remembering as reimagining,” whereby memory is not a passive retrieval of the past but an active process of cultural reconstruction and identity formation [29]. As Mohammed Elaloui observed in fieldwork interviews with Moroccan-Jewish artists in Geneva, Chgouri music “opens a door to a past that shapes who we are now—it is a voice from our ancestors that still sings within us” [30]. This testimony illustrates how sonic memory is both affective and generative, enabling third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews to negotiate their heritage in contemporary contexts.

Moreover, Chgouri’s role as sonic memory challenges dominant narratives that have historically marginalized Arab-Jewish identities within Israeli and global discourses [7]. By centering sound as a repository of collective experience, Chgouri contests the erasure of cultural hybridity and asserts the legitimacy of plural histories.

In summary, sonic memory, as manifested through Chgouri music, constitutes a vital channel for preserving and revitalizing Jewish-Moroccan cultural heritage, fostering emotional connections across generations and geographies, and enabling processes of reconciliation and coexistence.

Intergenerational Transmission through Music

The transmission of Chgouri music across generations occurs primarily in intimate, often informal settings that foster emotional bonding and cultural continuity. These spaces include family gatherings, religious celebrations, communal festivals, and increasingly, digital platforms such as social media groups and online archives dedicated to Judeo-Moroccan heritage [1]. This mode of transmission underscores the embodied and performative nature of sonic memory, where learning is experiential, oral, and participatory rather than solely textual.

In an interview conducted in Geneva with a third-generation Israeli-Moroccan woman singer, she recalled how her grandmother’s nightly humming of Chgouri melodies became a formative ritual. “Before I even understood the words, I felt Morocco in her voice,” she shared [3]. This testimony highlights the affective power of music to convey identity and belonging beyond explicit language comprehension. The grandmother’s humming functioned as a sonic lullaby that encoded cultural knowledge and emotional resonance, serving as a bridge between past and present generations.

Such intimate acts of musical transmission are not merely nostalgic or incidental; they constitute deliberate strategies of cultural preservation and resistance against the forces of assimilation and marginalization. For many Moroccan Jewish families in the diaspora and Israel, maintaining the Chgouri repertoire is an act of cultural resilience—a refusal to let memories fade into silence or invisibility.

Moreover, this intergenerational transmission fosters communal belonging and identity negotiation. As children learn Chgouri songs, they are introduced to historical narratives, linguistic codes, and social values embedded within the music. This process enables younger generations to appropriate and reinterpret their heritage, often blending it with contemporary musical influences to produce hybridized cultural expressions.

In recent years, digital technologies have amplified these transmission dynamics. Online platforms allow for wider dissemination of Chgouri music and facilitate virtual interactions among dispersed community members. Digital archives, YouTube performances, and social media groups provide spaces for collective memory work, enabling third-generation Israelis and diaspora Jews to access, share, and revitalize their musical heritage.

In this way, the intergenerational transmission of Chgouri is a living practice, simultaneously rooted in tradition and open to innovation. It functions as a vital mechanism through which memory is enacted, identities are affirmed, and cultural survival is ensured.

Memory in Lyrics and Rituals

The lyrical content of Chgouri songs serves as a rich repository of diasporic memory, encoding layers of historical, spiritual, and communal narratives that transcend temporal and spatial boundaries. Central themes include exile (galut), spiritual yearning for a lost homeland, and the collective experience of displacement and loss. Many songs mention evocative places such as Mogador (the historic name of Essaouira), a city deeply embedded in the collective memory of Moroccan Jews, thus anchoring identity in geographical specificity [32].

Moreover, these lyrics often invoke spiritual and religious concepts, blending Jewish mystical ideas with North African cultural motifs. This syncretism is emblematic of the lived reality of Moroccan Jews, whose identity has been shaped by diverse influences. The use of Haketia, Judeo-Spanish dialect, alongside Arabic and Hebrew, further reinforces this multicultural heritage [33].

Equally significant is the ritualistic dimension of Chgouri performance. The music is inseparable from social and religious occasions such as mimouna celebrations, weddings, and Shabbat gatherings, where it functions not simply as entertainment but as an integral component of communal rites [34]. These moments act as living reenactments of memory, where music becomes a medium through which the community collectively recalls, affirms, and transmits its heritage.

In this performative context, Chgouri transcends the realm of art to become an act of cultural survival and resilience. The music’s enactment reasserts communal belonging and continuity, defying the forces of cultural erasure that diaspora populations often confront [35].

Chgouri and Emotional Geographies

Beyond historical recollection, Chgouri music constructs emotional geographies—internal landscapes shaped by longing, nostalgia, and identity formation. For many third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews, Chgouri evokes not only Morocco as a physical homeland but also as a symbolic and affective space where identity and memory are negotiated [36].

This music enables individuals to articulate complex and hybrid identities that challenge rigid national and ethnic binaries. Rather than forcing a choice between being “Arab” or “Jewish,” “Israeli” or “North African,” Chgouri offers a sonic language that embraces ambiguity and multiplicity. It becomes a medium through which the diasporic self can inhabit a liminal space of belonging—rooted in heritage yet open to transformation.

The emotional resonance of Chgouri also facilitates psychosocial healing, as music provides a safe container for expressing pain, hope, and reconciliation. It enables the community to process generational trauma related to exile and marginalization, while simultaneously imagining futures grounded in coexistence and mutual recognition [37].

Thus, Chgouri is not only a conduit for memory but also a projective tool that opens space for imagining new forms of social and cultural belonging. It is a soundscape where histories intertwine and futures are forged through the shared language of music.

The third generation of Israeli-Moroccan Jews occupies a unique position within the diasporic continuum. Unlike their grandparents—who lived their Jewishness embedded in Moroccan cultural contexts—or their parents—who faced marginalization and cultural erasure upon migrating to Israel—this generation grapples with fragmented inheritances, simultaneously distant and intimate. Their quest is not for rootedness in a singular identity, but for coherence amidst multiplicity.

For many among this generation, Chgouri emerges as more than a nostalgic reference; it becomes an expressive practice that enables them to inhabit hybrid identities—Arab, Jewish, Israeli, North African—without negating any of them. This fluidity echoes Homi Bhabha’s theory of third space, where meaning is negotiated through ambivalence and cultural translation.

“When I sing Chgouri, I don’t feel like I have to choose. I am both. I am all,” shared Sarah B., a 29-year-old musician of Moroccan-Jewish descent living in Geneva, during a field interview. “In school, I was told to be Israeli. At home, we were told to forget Morocco. But in music, I found both voices—and they are not in conflict.”

Sarah’s testimony reflects a politics of memory in which musical practice allows for reconciliation with a fragmented heritage. For her and others like her, Chgouri is not merely an object of revival; it is a healing ritual, a performative negotiation of history and selfhood.

Through performances in community festivals, digital reinterpretations on platforms like YouTube, and collective workshops in Israeli cultural centers and universities, these youth are reclaiming Chgouri as a living archive. They rewrite its meaning through contemporary instruments, fusion styles, and multilingual expressions. The old rhythms of their grandparents’ Essaouira or Fes become reconfigured in Tel Aviv, Netanya, or even Geneva.

Furthermore, Chgouri functions as a counter-narrative to dominant Zionist discourses that often marginalized Mizrahi and Arab-Jewish voices. In a landscape where cultural hierarchies continue to privilege Ashkenazi norms, Chgouri asserts visibility and legitimacy for Mizrahi expression. It becomes, in essence, an act of resistance.

The return to Morocco, whether real or imagined, plays a central role in this process. The homeland becomes imaginednot just geographically, but emotionally—evoked through musical textures, stories, and inherited rituals. Echoing Benedict Anderson’s notion of imagined communities [38], these descendants form transnational bonds that transcend physical borders through shared sonic memory.

“I’ve never been to Morocco,” said Daniel M., a third-generation Israeli artist. “But when I close my eyes and sing those melodies, I see my grandmother’s kitchen, the Friday candles, the Arabic on her tongue. Morocco lives inside the music.”

This musical return becomes a diasporic act of re-mapping. Chgouri is not only a preservation of the past but a way of crafting alternative futures—ones that are inclusive, dialogical, and pluralistic.

In conclusion, for third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews, Chgouri serves as a sonic bridge—connecting personal and collective memory, healing historical ruptures, and offering a framework for postnational identity. In this context, identity is not a recovery of something lost but a creative act of becoming, grounded in listening, feeling, and performing.

This chapter examines how Chgouri music functions as a bridge between Jewish and Arab heritages, fostering cultural empathy and contributing to peace-building efforts. The Moroccan context, with its historical coexistence of Jews and Muslims, provides a unique setting for such reconciliation.

Chgouri’s revival in academic and cultural institutions, such as the Faculty of Mohammediyah in Casablanca, highlights the active role of Moroccan initiatives in preserving Jewish culture. This preservation serves as a symbolic gesture toward acknowledging shared histories.

One compelling example comes from a cultural festival held in Essaouira in 2023, where a joint performance was organized by young Jewish and Muslim musicians. The ensemble, composed of oud players, vocalists, and percussionists, performed a repertoire of traditional Chgouri songs interspersed with Andalusian and Gnawa elements. Fatima Z., a Muslim vocalist from Marrakech, shared her experience of singing Chgouri for the first time: “I didn’t grow up with this music, but when I sang it, I felt as if I was singing for my ancestors too. There is something shared here—pain, joy, and exile.”

 Her Jewish counterpart, David A., a third-generation Israeli-Moroccan violinist, echoed this sentiment: “This music is not just Jewish or Arab—it’s Moroccan. And when we play together, we remember what was possible.” Their musical collaboration went viral on social media, sparking conversations about the possibility of a renewed convivencia—a term often used to refer to historical coexistence in medieval Spain [39].

Workshops that accompanied the festival invited local schoolchildren and university students to reflect on identity and heritage. One session encouraged participants to share family stories tied to migration, memory, and sound. The workshop leader—a historian from the University of Casablanca—noted how “music opened up emotional narratives that written history sometimes silences.”

In Israel, similar moments of reconciliation are emerging in grassroots initiatives. A project led by Mizrahi cultural activists in Haifa brings together Arab and Jewish youth to study and perform Chgouri. The program not only teaches musical skills but fosters empathy through shared practice. As one organizer put it, “Our goal isn’t nostalgia. It’s repair.”

Performing a combined “Arab-Jewish” identity through Chgouri challenges exclusionary narratives and offers a mode of soft diplomacy amid ongoing regional tensions. Music, in this sense, becomes a form of peace-building, promoting dialogue, understanding, and coexistence beyond political divides. It allows memory and hope to coexist within the same melodic line.

Through these acts—collaborative performances, educational workshops, and cultural revivals—Chgouri serves as a conduit for imagining futures that honor the past while building new pathways of solidarity.

This chapter outlines the methodological approaches used in this research, drawing from ethnography, discourse analysis, participant observation, and musical analysis to investigate the role of Chgouri music in memory, identity, and reconciliation among third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews. Reflexivity—being mindful of the researcher’s own position and its impact on the research—is foregrounded throughout the process.

Ethnography and Field Engagement

Ethnographic fieldwork was central to this project. The research was conducted over several phases between Morocco (Marrakech, Essaouira, and Casablanca) and Europe (Geneva), allowing the researcher to collect narratives from artists, descendants of Moroccan Jews, and local scholars. The ethnographic encounters were both formal—such as semi-structured interviews—and informal, including conversations during musical events, community festivals, and religious ceremonies.

For example, during a gathering in Essaouira’s Bayt Dakira cultural center, the researcher observed a musical rehearsal between Jewish and Muslim musicians. Informal conversations with the participants provided key insights into how shared musical practices evoke collective memory and emotional solidarity. Interviews were recorded with consent and later transcribed for analysis.

Discourse Analysis and Narrative Inquiry

To understand how Chgouri is articulated within social and political discourses, discourse analysis was employed. This involved examining interviews, public talks, online videos, social media posts, and lyrics to unpack the ways in which Chgouri is framed—as heritage, as resistance, as nostalgia, or as reconciliation.

The researcher paid close attention to recurring phrases in the narratives: “my grandmother’s voice,” “Arab-Jewish soul,” “home I never knew,” and “music of peace.” These expressions were analyzed not only for their semantic content but for the emotional and political work they perform in identity construction and memory transmission.

Participant Observation and Embodied Experience

Participant observation provided direct engagement with the performance and reception of Chgouri. The researcher attended Chgouri concerts, sat in on rehearsals, and participated in workshops. During a performance in Geneva by a Moroccan-Jewish singer, the researcher noted how the crowd responded emotionally to Arabic lyrics sung in a Hebrew-inflected voice. Observations included the spatial arrangement of musicians, audience demographics, and moments of spontaneous participation such as clapping or ululation.

This embodied proximity offered insights that transcend textual data. For example, the physical posture of an elder musician clutching his violin during a nostalgic lament, or the moment two young women—one Muslim, one Jewish—locked eyes while singing the same refrain, provided rich affective data.

Musical Analysis: Modalities and Structures

A formal musical analysis of Chgouri songs was conducted to decode their structures, scales, and rhythms. Modal improvisation (maqamat), percussive layering, and the blending of Hebrew and Arabic lyrics were central to Chgouri’s aesthetic. Scores were reconstructed based on recordings from private collections and festival archives.

This analysis helped reveal how Chgouri encodes memory: how a shift in maqam might signal a transition from joy to longing, or how rhythmic breaks are used to mark ritual intensity. Musical elements were interpreted as carriers of symbolic meaning as well as aesthetic form.

Reflexivity and Positionality

The researcher’s own identity as a Moroccan scholar conducting diasporic research posed both challenges and opportunities. At times, this positionality facilitated access and trust; at others, it raised questions about insider-outsider dynamics. For instance, some interviewees initially viewed the research as a nationalistic project, while others embraced it as a diasporic act of solidarity.

To navigate this complexity, the researcher kept a reflexive journal, documenting emotions, biases, and shifting perceptions. Decisions about data inclusion, interpretation, and language were made with ethical awareness, striving for both fidelity to the participants’ voices and analytical rigor.

In summary, this chapter affirms that studying Chgouri requires an interdisciplinary and ethically attuned methodology. Through ethnography, discourse analysis, musical analysis, and reflexive engagement, the research offers a holistic understanding of how music becomes a site of memory, identity, and reconciliation.

Conclusion

This article has explored Shuguri (Chgouri) music as a vibrant sonic archive that embodies memory, identity, and reconciliation among third-generation Israeli-Moroccan Jews. Through a case study approach grounded in ethnographic fieldwork and critical discourse analysis, the study illuminated how Chgouri operates not merely as a form of artistic expression but as a dynamic medium through which individuals and communities negotiate complex diasporic identities.

The revival of Chgouri is not only a means of cultural preservation, but a significant act of resistance against erasure and homogenization. It reactivates memory, reclaims narrative agency, and forges dialogical spaces where Arab-Jewish hybridity is not only acknowledged but celebrated. In its melodies, rhythms, and multilingual poetics, Chgouri transcends rigid binaries—Arab and Jew, exile and homeland, tradition and modernity—making it a critical sonic bridge between fractured histories and imagined futures.

Moreover, Chgouri’s resurgence within academic institutions, diaspora networks, and transnational festivals affirms its relevance in contemporary conversations on identity politics, historical justice, and cultural diplomacy. By fostering affective bonds across generations and geographies, the music becomes a tool for relational belonging and intercultural empathy—core ingredients for coexistence in an era of polarization.

This research contributes to broader theoretical discourses in anthropology, ethnomusicology, diaspora studies, and peace studies. It highlights the necessity of approaching culture not as static heritage but as a performative, lived, and contested field of meaning. Future inquiries could delve deeper into how musical forms like Chgouri inform political subjectivities, intercommunal dialogue, and artistic activism.

In sum, Chgouri’s revival is more than a nostalgic return—it is a forward-looking practice of cultural resilience. It invites us to listen not only to melodies of the past but to echoes of possible futures where memory and music together sustain the fragile work of reconciliation.

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