Suchergebnisse

Two decades ago I published an article in this journal about Egyptian biographical films. It was the first study published inIJMESabout Arab/Middle East film and the first to feature photographic illustrations. The editor sent it to four reviewers, some presumably to check my history, others my cultural scope. Three approved wholeheartedly, but one protested thatIJMESshould not publish a piece that was not based upon "Arabic sources." Admittedly, there was little critical literature in Arabic on this topic; my primary theorization came from a recent study of Hollywood "biopics." But Stephen Humphreys, the forward-thinking editor, recognized that my "Arabic sources" were the films analyzed and disregarded the negative review.

Abstract
The Naked Blogger of Cairo explores "creative insurgency" during the Arab Spring and in the face of renewed repression. Kraidy explores diverse manifestations of artistic dissent—graffiti, murals, street theater, social media postings, physical gestures, and chants—particularly related to the body, of rulers and ruled, with humor and rage, hope and despair. His focal points are Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria, but his gaze encompasses wider repercussions in and outside the Arab world, the latter especially pertinent as key artists find themselves forced to leave home. How their work translates in exile, how it is valued in a world art market, and how some of it continues to live in virtual space even after erasure at home become challenges to those who seek to continue to struggle against authoritarianism.