Desirable Masculinity/Femininity and Nostalgia of the "Anti-Modern": Bab el-Hara Television Series as a Site of Production

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dc.contributor.authorZaatari, Zeina
dc.date.accessioned2013-01-11T17:34:18Z
dc.date.available2013-01-11T17:34:18Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.descriptionManuscript Draft. Contains Arabic illustrationen
dc.description.abstractVarying 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.en
dc.formatTexten
dc.identifier.citationZaatari, 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/s12119-014-9242-5en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10625/50623
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectMASCULINITY AND FEMININITYen
dc.subjectTELEVISION PORTRAYALSen
dc.subjectNATIONAL AND POPULAR MEDIAen
dc.subjectGENDER ROLESen
dc.subjectPATRIARCHYen
dc.subjectARAB WORLDen
dc.subjectFAMILY RELATIONSHIPSen
dc.subjectMANUFACTURING DESIRESen
dc.subjectANTI-MODERN MASCULINEen
dc.subjectNOSTALGIAen
dc.subjectWOMEN'S RIGHTSen
dc.subjectTRADITIONAL JUSTICEen
dc.subjectPOPULAR CULTUREen
dc.subjectMEN'S ROLEen
dc.subjectWOMEN'S ROLEen
dc.subjectMEDIAen
dc.subjectNATIONALIZATIONen
dc.subjectGENDER EQUALITYen
dc.subjectARAB COUNTRIESen
dc.subjectFOLK CULTUREen
dc.titleDesirable Masculinity/Femininity and Nostalgia of the "Anti-Modern": Bab el-Hara Television Series as a Site of Productionen
dc.typeJournal Article (peer-reviewed)en
idrc.dspace.accessIDRC Onlyen
idrc.noaccessDue to copyright restrictions the full text of this research output is not available in the IDRC Digital Library or by request from the IDRC Library. / Compte tenu des restrictions relatives au droit d'auteur, le texte intégral de cet extrant de recherche n'est pas accessible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI, et il n'est pas possible d'en faire la demande à la Bibliothéque du CRDI.en
idrc.project.number104090
idrc.project.titleArab Families and Youth : a Century of War, Migration and Displacementen
idrc.rims.adhocgroupIDRC SUPPORTEDen

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