The politics of love : sexuality, gender, and marriage in Syrian television drama / rebecca joubin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Joubin, Rebecca.

Contributor:

Benjamin Franklin Library Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Television programs--Social aspects--Syria.

Television programs.

Love on television.

Sex role on television.

Women on television.

Feminism on television.

Masculinity on television.

Television programs--Social aspects.

Syria.

Physical Description:

xix, 487 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Lexington Books, 2013.

Summary:

Dramatic miniseries are the primary arena for the expression of postcolonial Syrian culture and artistic talent-an arena that unites diverse aspects of artisanship in a struggle over visions of the past, present, and future of the nation. As the tour de force of the television medium, blossoming amidst persisting authoritarianism, these miniseries serve as a crucial and complex artistic avenue through which political and social opposition manifests. Scholars have tried to come to terms with a highly critical culture produced within attempted state co-optation, and argue that politically critical culture operates as a "safety valve" to release frustrations so that dissenters are less likely to mobilize against the government. Through research fueled by a viewing of over two hundred and fifty miniseries ranging from the 1960s to the present-as well as an examination of hundreds of press reports, Facebook pages, and extensive interviews with drama creators-The Politics of Love turns away from the dominant paradigm that focuses on regime intent. When turning attention instead to the drama creators themselves we witness the polyphony of voices employing love and marriage metaphors and gender (de)constructions to explore larger issues of nationalism, self-identity, and political critique. At the heart of constructions of femininity are the complications that arise with the symbiosis of pure femininity with authentic national identity. Deconstructing masculinity as political critique has been less complicated since it is not implicated in Western identity issues; on the contrary, illustrations of subservient masculinity serve to subdy denounce government corruption and oppression. Miniseries from the 1960s demonstrate that the focus of the qabaday (tough man) on female sexuality comes from his own political alienation vis-a-vis the state, and is part of a vicious cycle of state violence vis-a-vis the citizen. In recent years, and in particular after the uprising, we can see the emerging definition of the true qabaday as one who does not suppress a woman's sexuality, thereby allowing for full equality in relationships as the basis of a truly free society. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction: the televisuality of Syrian popular culture

The politics behind Syrian television drama

Political parodies and embattled masculinity: prison and marriage marriage metaphors in contemporary tales of the late 1980s and 1990s

Fighting the dictator within

The development of the politics of qabadayat and the state in early historical fiction genre (1990s)

Fantasy of the masculine hero: qabadayat fighting colonial power in the bi'a shamiyyeh (old Damascus) genre (2000 onward)

Subordinate and subversive masculinities as political protest in bi'a Shamiyyeh historical tales

Embattled masculinity in contemporary tales: the crisis of qabadayat

On the trials of love and sexuality before marriage in contemporary tales

Cultural deconstructions of femininity and self-identity in marriage in contemporary tales

Afterward: drama preparation amidst an uprising: debates, challenges, and new directions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Benjamin Franklin Library Fund.

ISBN:

0739184296

9780739184295

OCLC:

852830015

Publisher Number:

99955555984