THE STEREOTYPE IMAGE OF THE MUSLIM WOMAN IN THE WESTERN WORLD: CALL FOR A NEW PERSPECTIVE | ||||||||||||||
| Journal of Arts & Architecture Research Studies | ||||||||||||||
| Volume 2, Issue 3, June 2021, Page 173-193 PDF (1.58 MB) | ||||||||||||||
| Document Type: Specialized scientific research papers | ||||||||||||||
| DOI: 10.47436/jaars.2021.76046.1021 | ||||||||||||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||||||||||||
| Author | ||||||||||||||
Zeinab Nour  
| ||||||||||||||
| Painting department, Faculty of Fine Arts - Helwan University, Cairo | ||||||||||||||
| Abstract | ||||||||||||||
| In conservative societies, including Oriental countries, one can say that women are one of the main concerns of the conservatives; the woman in Oriental societies, especially with religious tendencies, represents a kind of 'sacred privacy'. With such peculiarity, the image of Oriental but Muslim women in particular in the eyes of Western artists has been a controversial topic through modern and contemporary art history, colonialism, as well as contemporary media where visual language is used, especially when the Muslim woman representation seems to be embarrassing, offensive or stereotyped. As an Oriental insider woman, the researcher aims to discuss this controversial issue; within a self-reflection essay, she will discuss and attempt to answer the raised questions through an artistic, social, analytical and critical approach. The aim is to present different perspectives, bring them closer together, and clarify the ambiguities in understanding the other, in order to reach a different middle perspective and to contribute to creating better chances for coexistence between East and West in a world that is supposed to be one. | ||||||||||||||
| Keywords | ||||||||||||||
| Arts; Muslim-woman; migration; gender; orientalism | ||||||||||||||
| References | ||||||||||||||
|
Alloula, M., Godzich, M., Godzich, W., & Harlow, B. (1986). The Colonial Harem. Minneapolis; London: University of Minnesota Press. doi:10.5749/j.ctttth83
Edward W. Saïd. Two books: (1978) Orientalism, Pantheon books, USA; (1985) Orientalism Reconsidered, University of Minnesota Press, USA. Hussein, Shakira. (2016). From Victims to Suspects:Muslim Women since 9/11. University of New South Wales Press.
Ibn Warrak. (2007). Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's Orientalism. Prometheus Books, 2007, 500 pp.
Irwin, Robert. (2006). Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and its Discontents. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press.
Lyons, Nancy. (2019, December). Inspired by the East: Thoughts about Orientalism. Art UK. Accessed 15 March 2021 https://bit.ly/2QY4fkn
Mabro, Judy. (1995). Veiled Half-Truths: Western Travelers Perception of Middle Eastern Women, Publisher: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd.
Nochlin, Linda. (1983). the Imaginary Orient. Art in America, vol. IXXI, no. 5. pp. 118–31.
Nour, Zeinab. (2017). Reflections of Feminism in Contemporary Mural Painting between Occidental and Oriental societies. https://press.ierek.com/index.php/ARChive/article/view/117
Nour, Zeinab. 2018 - The lie of the "Pharaoh FGM". https://www.academia.edu/38260017/The_lie_of_the_Pharaohs_FGM.pdf
Thürlemann, Felix. Staging the Egyptian Harem for Western Eyes. Khan Academy. Accessed 1 March 2021. https://bit.ly/3ey11Nq
Williams, Zoe. (2011, March). New Europe: Why France's gender code makes life hard for women. The Guardian. Visited 27/1/2018. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/25/new-europe-france-women-gender-code
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
- 'Harem'. Accessed 1 March 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harem
- 'Madonna-whore Complex'. Accessed 1 April 2021 https://bit.ly/3hey6je
- 'Orientalism' (book). Accessed 15 March 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book)
- Female Graffiti artists. Accessed 1March 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_graffiti_artists
Additional contributing references to the deconstruction of Western stereotypes about the Muslim or Oriental woman
- Abu-Lughod, L. (2002 ) 'Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others'. American Anthropologist, 104(3), 783–90.
- Mernissi, Fatema. (1975). Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in a Muslim Society.
Also, (1994). Dreams of Trespass: Tales of A Harem Girlhood), Basic Books. And, (2001). Scheherazade Goes West: Different Cultures, Different Harems. Washigton Square Press.
- Mirza, Heidi Safia. (2013). Muslim Women and Gender Stereotypes in ‘New Times’: From Multiculturalism to Islamophobia. The State of Race (book). Pages 96-117. Springer Link.
Retrievedfrom https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137313089
Additional references and resources about feminist Cinema in the Middle East
- Abdulaal, Mirna. (2019, May). Remembering Films by Faten Hamama Championing Women’s Rights. Retrieved from https://egyptianstreets.com/2019/05/27/remembering-4-films-by-faten-hamama-championing-womens-rights/
- Allam, Nouran. (2015, January). Five Movies That Reveal Social Issues Faced By Egyptian Women. Egyptian Streets. Arts & Culture. Retrieved from:
- Ben Romdane, Sarah. (2018, September). A Guide to the Middle East's Most Important Feminist Films. Mille. Art & Culture. Retrieved from https://www.milleworld.com/guide-middle-easts-important-feminist-films/
- Çetin, İclal. Middle Eastern Women Filmmakers of this Century. Review of Middle East Studies. Vol. 44, No. 1 (Summer 2010), pp. 54-59. Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA). Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/41970320
- Hala Khalil. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hala_Khalil
- Ray, Shankhamala. (2012) Islamic Women in Films: Turning the Voyeurs into Spectators. Global Media Journal –University of Calcutta. Vol. 3/No.1. Retrieved from
- 'Shadia' scene. 'A bit of Fear' film. 1969. Retrieved from
- 678 (Egyptian contemporary feminist film). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/678_(film)
| ||||||||||||||
|
Statistics Article View: 7,449 PDF Download: 629 |
||||||||||||||
