Dabke Stays with Us: An Ethnographic Study of Dabke and Its Meaning in the Netherlands

Dabke, a collective line dance, is an ingrained social practice in the Middle East. Due to displacement and migration, dabke is now also part of Dutch nightlife. Which raises the question of how the relationship with heritage is affected by movement. Since migration and displacement are becoming a more common experience in a globalised world, heritage is changing. For people who want to maintain a connection to their homeland, dabke stays an important practice even though its meaning, use and experience has been affected by change of place. Many physical elements of the dance stay the same, while feelings of belonging can be influenced, freestyle variations come together at Dabke Night events and women are more confident to lead. Interlocutors share that the dance feels less spontaneous and experience loss in the variety of stepping patterns. However, dabke and identity are still strongly intertwined and connect people to their homeland, by re-connecting to roots, teaching the next...Show moreDabke, a collective line dance, is an ingrained social practice in the Middle East. Due to displacement and migration, dabke is now also part of Dutch nightlife. Which raises the question of how the relationship with heritage is affected by movement. Since migration and displacement are becoming a more common experience in a globalised world, heritage is changing. For people who want to maintain a connection to their homeland, dabke stays an important practice even though its meaning, use and experience has been affected by change of place. Many physical elements of the dance stay the same, while feelings of belonging can be influenced, freestyle variations come together at Dabke Night events and women are more confident to lead. Interlocutors share that the dance feels less spontaneous and experience loss in the variety of stepping patterns. However, dabke and identity are still strongly intertwined and connect people to their homeland, by re-connecting to roots, teaching the next generation and stressing identity and resistance across borders. A relationship to heritage can be strengthened or weakened through migration. Dabke Night provides a space to maintain this relationship in the Netherlands.Show less

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Dabke Stays with Us: An Ethnographic Study of Dabke and Its Meaning in the Netherlands