Cinema and Society in the Middle East and North Africa

As a pathway to modernity and an important part of intellectual life, cinema has been playing a crucial role in the sociopolitical and cultural development of the Middle East and North Africa since its emergence in the early 20th century. In the popular media and language of official politics, the voices of artists and filmmakers of this region have not received the attention they deserve. For decades, Algerian, Egyptian, Iranian, and Palestinian cinemas have been a major force reflecting on their countries’ and the region’s struggle against colonialism, authoritarianism, gender inequality, and poverty. In this course, we will read works on film theory and Middle Eastern and North African directors and their films. In addition to watching and discussing films, we will ask questions such as these: What role did cinema play in the formation of national and ethnic identities since its emergence in the early 20th century? How does film serve as a medium for transformation from a “traditional” society to a “modern” one? How do feminist directors use their films to negotiate women’s rights? How do filmmakers resist censorship by authoritarian and repressive regimes? And finally, what role does cinema play as an influential medium in the representation of this region within global culture?