• Disconcerting Images: Arab Female Portrayals on Arab Television

    Author(s):
    Hania A.M. Nashef (see profile)
    Date:
    2013
    Group(s):
    LLC Arabic, MS Visual Culture, TC Popular Culture, TC Postcolonial Studies
    Subject(s):
    Aesthetics, Culture--Study and teaching, Mass media--Study and teaching
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    arab world, culture studies, postcolonial, gender, identity, Cultural studies, Media studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6SW3C
    Abstract:
    The changes that have been witnessed by media in the Arab world have redefined media's initial role as a source of information. With the advent of satellite television new realities, namely the dismantling of communication boundaries, have emerged. At first, such advancements posed a challenge to government bodies, specifically in the Arab region; however, the issue has been resolved in what has eventually resulted in government-controlled media, independently owned broadcasting stations with ties to ruling bodies, and the mushrooming of little private ventures owned by businesses or religious/sectarian groups, transmitting globally. Not only did this not translate into political or social freedoms in the Arab world, but it also failed to challenge pre-existing notions of gender. The current media have inadvertently consolidated traditional stereotypes of the female in spite of their claim to be a liberating force. In this essay I propose to argue that a detailed study of female representation on Arab television would reveal an immature and regressive medium, solely interested in commodifying and in enfeebling the Arab female. Moreover, an interpretive discourse with postcolonial theory and an analysis of what constitutes the Arab identity will reveal why such female representations persist.
    Metadata:
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    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.1080/1369801X.2012.730858
    Publisher:
    Informa UK Limited
    Pub. Date:
    2013-7-9
    Journal:
    Interventions
    Volume:
    14
    Issue:
    4
    Page Range:
    515 - 532
    ISSN:
    1369-801X,1469-929X
    Status:
    Published
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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