Desirable Masculinity/Femininity and Nostalgia of the "Anti-Modern": Bab el-Hara Television Series as a Site of Production
Abstract
Varying manifestations of masculinity and femininity are often on display in various
forms of popular culture. The following essay will analyze the kinds of desires and
commentaries on social issues and family ties that Bab el-Hara, a Syrian television
series, evokes. It argues that through evoking a sense of nostalgia for a "mythic" past,
it links between a nationalist desirable masculine 'anti-modernity' and particular desires
around family relations, femininity, and women. Despite contradicting some of the
stated desires among audiences, these manufactured desires find broad appeal in the
political context of the Arab world today. This phenomenon--that such a show and its
representations strike a strong chord across the region--fosters commentary on the
difficult current positions of women's rights struggles in the contemporary gender
politics of the region. I argue that the show promotes an 'anti-modern' masculinity
capable of delivering justice on the national front. In so doing, it also erodes the
possibility of a gender justice future. In this paper, I will first address the relationship
between the national and popular media, discuss patriarchy, family relations,
femininity, and masculinity, showcasing ideal notions of masculinity as anti-modern. I
then analyze notions of nostalgia of an ideal state, family, and masculinity/manhood in
comparison and contrast to the current failures of the nation/state to deliver. This leads
into a conclusion commenting on the political and social transformations in the Arab
world in 2011 and the challenges ahead for not only political change but social change
that supports women's equality.
Description
Manuscript Draft. Contains Arabic illustration
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Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
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Keywords
MASCULINITY AND FEMININITY, TELEVISION PORTRAYALS, NATIONAL AND POPULAR MEDIA, GENDER ROLES, PATRIARCHY, ARAB WORLD, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, MANUFACTURING DESIRES, ANTI-MODERN MASCULINE, NOSTALGIA, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, TRADITIONAL JUSTICE, POPULAR CULTURE, MEN'S ROLE, WOMEN'S ROLE, MEDIA, NATIONALIZATION, GENDER EQUALITY, ARAB COUNTRIES, FOLK CULTURE
Citation
Zaatari, Z. (2015). Desirable masculinity/femininity and nostalgia of the “anti-modern”: Bab el-Hara television series as a site of production. Sexuality & Culture, 19(1), 16-36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-014-9242-5