Hessa al-Rifa'i (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: حصة الرفاعي) (born 1947) is a folklorist and poet from

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Biography

Al-Rifa'i was born in

Kuwait City Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...

in 1947. She studied for a BA in

Cairo University Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...

. She was awarded an MA in

Folk Literature Oral literature, orature or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used vary ...

in 1971. She then went on to study for a PhD at

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

, which she was awarded in 1982. In it she studied the impact of modernisation on the folk traditions of Kuwait. Since 1982, al-Rifa'i has worked as a professor in the Department of Arabic Language at

Kuwait University Kuwait University ( ar, جامعة الكويت, abbreviated as Kuniv) is a public university located in Kuwait City, Kuwait. History Kuwait University (KU), (in Arabic: جامعة الكويت), was established in October 1966 under Act N. 29 ...

. Her poetry and her research are published in both English and Arabic.She lives in Kuwait.

Folklore Studies

Al-Rifa'i is an expert in the culture and history of sea-songs and shanties, from Kuwait and the Persian Gulf region. She studied has studied their musical structure, demonstrating that they follow Arabic melodic structures. She has also studied the movement of Arabic musical traditions across the Mediterranean to Andalusia. As well as the musical heritage of sea-shanties, al-Rifa'i has studied the cultural practices that go alongside: for example women performing rituals, such as placing a bar of hot iron in the sea, to ensure the safe return of fishermen. In addition, al-Rifa'i studies comparative folk literature, including the

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

narrative in Kuwaiti tradition. She has worked on the legacy of the folk-poet

Zaid Al-Harb Zaid Abdullah Al-Harb ( ar, زيد عبدالله الحرب) (1887 – February 21, 1972) was a Kuwaiti poet. Biography Al-Harb was born in Kuwait in 1887 in the Sharq area ( ar, منطقة شرق, links=no). He grew up in his grandfather's house ...

Poetry

Al-Rifa'i is a poet herself and has published four books of poetry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rifa'i, Hessa Academic staff of Kuwait University Women folklorists Kuwaiti folklorists Indiana State University alumni Cairo University alumni People from Kuwait City Living people 1947 births