Cosmopolitanism, Activism and Arab Documentary Film

Bibliographic Data

ID12955437
AuthorsJosepha Wessels (0000-0003-2682-035X, Malmö University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume13
Issue2
Pages210-231
Publication date2020-10-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle East Journal of Culture and Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1873-9857 • E-ISSN: 1873-9865
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/18739865-01302003
OpenAlexW3104187849
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited14

Since the 1970s, Arab documentary filmmakers have highlighted struggles for personal freedom, dignity and democracy by those restricted by oppressive systems of colonialism, occupation and authoritarianism. In this article I study four contemporary Arab documentary films to identify a path vital for the rethinking of cosmopolitanism and global citizenship in Middle East studies. After the 2011 global interest in the Arab uprisings, Syrian and Palestinian documentaries rose to acclaim at international film festivals, and won Emmys and Oscar nominations. The often character-led stories of these films defy orientalist views of the Middle East. Creative global communities at international film festivals are emerging, where Arab documentary filmmakers and their non-elitist stories connect on various humanistic, sociocultural and political levels with non-Arab peers. In this article my aim is to contribute to a redefinition of cosmopolitanism, one not based on the rationalism of the Enlightenment but on the universality of human emotion and sentiment

Aesthetics · Art · Authoritarianism · Cosmopolitanism · Democracy · Enlightenment · Epistemology · Global citizenship · Literature · Media studies · Middle East · Orientalism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Gender Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Middle East Politics and Society · Turkey's Politics and Society

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