"Musical arts have interconnected Arab societies across Southwest Asia and North Africa since the 7th century. In the course of this deeply rooted history, Arabs have negotiated diverse cultural forces from within and outside the region to give rise to their socio-musical present. In the process, intersections of universalistic lyrical themes and traditions of local folk music, urban art music, and Euro-American music have at times given rise to enormous popular appeal across sociological division and have led to construction of identity founded in cultural pluralism. This presentation looks into the far-reaching song of Fairuz as a model lens through which to examine this phenomenon."