The feminist media in middle est Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The feminist media in middle est - Essay ExampleI. A skeleton History of Media in the Middle East and the Origins of the Female Presence From a historical standpoint though, Middle eastern media dates back to the early 1800s. During the times of the comfort Empire and Qajar Iran to name but a few, media in official and private arenas began to take shape (Fortna, 97). Although Middle Eastern media at this time was largely financed by subscription and advertisements, it became a prevalent tool in the transmission and dissemination of cultural/technical works largely aided by the newly imported stamp technologies from European nations (Fortna, 97). However, it wasnt until the early 20th century when media became a professional occupation, that the power of media (writing, journalism, and illustrations) was fully harnessed. By 1925, print and roving journalists had begun creating teams, to comment on the popular media of the day radio and cinema (Fortna, 97). Regarding the first n otable womanish presence in Middle Eastern media, it appears that this is not well documented and varies greatly depending on the type of media. For example, since the inception of Aziza Amirs first Arabic feature length film in 1927, females have been permitted to make and direct films (Skilli, 48). Filmmaking has offered women (feminist or otherwise) to capsule the complexities of female realities and offer a somewhat covert challenge to the paramount view of the female role for example, Abnoudis 1971 file (Horse of Mud), encouraged Middle Eastern people to consider the impact of gender roles and socioeconomic class on the daily lives of Middle Eastern women (Skilli, 48). Critical feminist films that overtly challenge the dominant order are still subject to censorship in the Middle East to this day. For example, when Tahmineh Milanis feminist film, roughly translated as the Hidden Half was introduced to the domain in 2001, she was both arrested and then interrogated (Skilli, 49). Women did not become notable in the establishment of publishing houses until the 1980s, when Iranian feminist Shahla Lahiji became the first publishing house owner. adjacent this, several other women were able to establish publishing houses, and put womens issues in the public arena for the first time (Skalli, 45). Females did not appear in contemporary journalism in the Middle East until the 1980s and faced dual threats from religious quarters and from censorship of the semi-military government when publishing materials that aimed to discuss womens rights, womens issues, or any other topic that threatened the prevailing order (Skalli, 41). Sakh (2004) argues that even when women were/are afforded the necessary freedom to participate in citizenry media outlets in the Middle East, there is no guarantee that they support feminist causes, or aim to promote discussion of issues relevant to women (Sakr, 8). In fact, female illiteracy is a major Middle Eastern issue, which serves to promote compliance with the dominant system, preempt challenges to it, and keep women in a subordinate position (Sakr, 8 Skalli, 41). Regarding female appearance on television, much progress has been made in the past 30 years. Notably, Jordons most prominent female newsman, Rana Husseini, and Algerian reporter Horia Saihi, have constructed stories on the female experience of war