Dramas of Nationhood
The Politics of Television in Egypt
324 pages
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16 halftones
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6 x 9
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© 2004
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.
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.
American Ethnological Society: AES Senior Book Prize
Won
"Lila Abu-Lughod skillfully reverses the traditional anthropologist's quest for 'other' signs of life by brilliantly exploring that ubiquitous form of contemporary culture--the television serial--as it participates in the drama of Egyptian national and regional life. Her creative uses of the themes and tropes of visual cultural studies combine with the originality of her ethnographic insights to produce a fascinating portrait of the rural world of Upper Egypt--a world of complex gender relations, intricate social and political associations, shared longings, unfulfilled desires, and communal fantasies. Abu-Lughod's remarkable book illuminates some of the most important issues connected with the transitional processes that constitute relations between local communities and global communications."--Homi K. Bhabha
"Once again, Lila Abu-Lughod leads us into new understandings about life worlds and dilemmas of modernity in Egypt, this time focusing on how television--and melodramatic serials in particular--has become a project of creating contemporary national subjects. Dramas of Nationhood illuminates the delicate balance that must be kept around the portrayal of Islam, national heritage, and gender, to name just a few of the contested concerns that are played out in the politics of Egyptian television. Written with attention to both broad theoretical questions as well as the everyday experience of her subjects, the book makes a compelling case for value of anthropology's contribution to the study of media."--Fay Ginsburg
"Dramas of Nationhood is stellar--a highly nuanced, original, and exceedingly well written work on the question of how television relates to contemporary identities and recent political economic, religious, and cultural history in Egypt. It focuses on the national identities at play in serial dramas, and shows how the conversations they prompt in Egyptian daily life, press, and production settings provide insight into how urban and rural citizens understand Islam and Islamic extremism, changing norms of gender, and citizenship."-Catherine A. Lutz, Brown University.
"Dramas of Nationhood is an excellent ethnography and should find a wide audience in several fields. . . . [A] strong contribution to Middle East studies and anthropology, as well as gender and media studies. . . . Highly recommended for students and professionals at all levels."—Walter Armbrust, Anthropological Quarterly
“At a time in which the importance of media in anthropological research is growing, this book can be read by anthropologists as an outstanding example of how thick description can be applied to postmodern cultural issues. Abu-Lughod’s detailed, innovative ethnographic insight into Egypt’s media worlds is essential reading for anyone interested in the development of societies in the Middle East or in the perspectives of subaltern media consumers.”—Heike Drotbohm, Critique of Anthropology
"This book is an excellent non-Western contribution to the general literature on the role of media in constructing national and cultural identities. . . . I do recommend the book for students, researchers, academics and those who are interested in media effects studies, ethnographc research, and patterns of cultural consumption and cultural taste in relation to issues concerning national and cultural identities. It will also prove useful for those interested in learning more about Egyptian society and television."—Imad Karam, Ethnic and Racial Studies
"Abu-Lughod's important study deals with the instrumental role of television melodrama serials . . . in the production of Egyptian national culture and molding individuals into modern national citizens."
"Unquestionably an excellent ethnography. From its very beginning , the description is thick and the reader is caught up in the imagery. . . . Its breadth and appeal is such that it has a wealth to offer to a number of disciplines and approaches. Beyond its immediate value to media and gender studies, Dramas of nationhood includes contemporary discussions of cosmopolitanism and nationhood which will be useful to any anthropologist."—Mark Paul Highfield, Social Anthropology
"Dramas of Nationhood is a tremendous book, and a privilege to read, review and recommend. . . . The book is extremely well written. It is both empirically rich and theoretically informed. . . . It is refreshingly open, personal and honest."
"An elegantly written, richly descriptive and theoretically nuanced work that raises many important questions about the ethnographic and anthropological study of television, education, gender, nation, modernity and the nature of 'culture' itself. It will make a fine text for upper division and graduate courses focusing on any of these themes. I cannot imagine any anthropologist thinking about human encounters with media who will not find epiphanies in this book."
"This book will prove a deep reservoir of insights and information for those looking to understand the cultural nuances of modernization in Egypt. What emerges unmistakably is that an object that appears to be part of popular culture is deeply involved in national pedagogy, and thus is thoroughly political in character. . . . Abu-Lughod demonstrates in this rich and compelling book how television works to 'fill in that hollowness' of the nation."
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
PART ONE Anthropology and National Media
1. Ethnography of a Nation
2. Interpreting Culture(s) after Television: On Method
PART TWO National Pedagogy
3. Rural "Ignorance" and the Virtues of Education
4. Development Realism, "Real Melodrama," and the Problem of Feminism
PART THREE The Eroding Hegemony of Developmentalism
5. Modern Subjects? Egyptian Melodrama and Postcolonial Difference
6. The Ambivalence of Authenticity: National Culture in a Global World
7. Managing Religion in the Name of National Community
8. Consumption and the Eroding Hegemony of Developmentalism
Conclusion: Star Magic and the Forms of National Affinity
Appendix
Notes
References
Index
Acknowledgments
PART ONE Anthropology and National Media
1. Ethnography of a Nation
2. Interpreting Culture(s) after Television: On Method
PART TWO National Pedagogy
3. Rural "Ignorance" and the Virtues of Education
4. Development Realism, "Real Melodrama," and the Problem of Feminism
PART THREE The Eroding Hegemony of Developmentalism
5. Modern Subjects? Egyptian Melodrama and Postcolonial Difference
6. The Ambivalence of Authenticity: National Culture in a Global World
7. Managing Religion in the Name of National Community
8. Consumption and the Eroding Hegemony of Developmentalism
Conclusion: Star Magic and the Forms of National Affinity
Appendix
Notes
References
Index
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