Dissertation Information for Magdy Mounir El-Shammaa NAME: - Magdy Mounir El-Shammaa
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- History
SCHOOL:
- University of California, Los Angeles (USA) (2007)
ADVISORS: - James Gelvin
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Gabriel Piterberg - Michael Cooperson
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: Shadows of contemporary lives: Modernity, culture, and national identity in Egyptian filmmaking
Abstract: This dissertation is a history of Egyptian filmmaking since its beginnings before the interwar period in 1907 to 1977. It explores the emergence of Egyptian middle-class national identity, first during the interwar period, and its achievement of a broad cultural hegemony by the 1960s. This identity, and its expression in cultural production at the time, was predicated on a discourse that held a positive view of modernity, the inevitability of progress, and development. The broad consensus on the premises of this discourse, and the positive evaluation held by the general public as to the ability and intention of those holding public power to fulfill these goals, was severely undermined by the 1967 war and events since then.
As part of this filmmaking history, pivotal changes in the structure of the industry, technology, and community of artists are highlighted. The dissertation proceeds largely on a chronological basis, beginning with filmmaking even before the interwar period and ending with the 1970s. Along with examining the social, environmental, and institutional contexts of each period, I highlight the interplay of class, ethnicity, gender and generation as tropes both in the production process and images projected in the final product.
The first chapter introduces the early history of filmmaking in Egypt during the twilight period of cosmopolitan colonialism during the interwar period. The second chapter examines the promotion, through the films of Salah Abu Sayf, of the identity and values of ibn al-balad as an 'authentic' national identity to be consumed by the middle-class. The third chapter examines the nationalization of the filmmaking industry, and what impact this had on cultural production, through an examination of the changing depictions of the 'modern Egyptian woman.' The final chapter examines the period following the 1967 war, and with it, the dissipation of the consensus behind the nationalist discourse up to that point. Indexing (document details)
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MPACT Scores for Magdy Mounir El-Shammaa A = 0
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calculated 2008-08-06 13:25:36
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