How do people come to think of themselves as part of a nation? Dramas
of Nationhood identifies a fantastic cultural form that binds together
the Egyptian nation—television serials. These melodramatic
programs—like soap operas but more closely tied to political and
social issues than their Western counterparts—have been shown on
television in Egypt for more than thirty years. In this book, Lila
Abu-Lughod examines the shifting politics of these serials and the way
their contents both reflect and seek to direct the changing course of
Islam, gender relations, and everyday life in this Middle Eastern
nation. Representing a decade's worth of research, Dramas of
Nationhood makes a case for the importance of studying television to
answer larger questions about culture, power, and modern
self-fashionings. Abu-Lughod explores the elements of developmentalist
ideology and the visions of national progress that once dominated
Egyptian television—now experiencing a crisis. She discusses the
broadcasts in rich detail, from the generic emotional qualities of TV
serials and the depictions of authentic national culture, to the
debates inflamed by their deliberate strategies for combating
religious extremism.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780226001982
Publisert
2018
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Chicago Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter