Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies
This article opens with some brief observations on the phenomenon of Arab blackface—that is, of Arab actors “blacking up” to impersonate black Arab or African characters—from classic cinematic portrayals of the warrior-poet Antara Ibn Shaddad to more recent deployments of blackface in the Arab enter...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lodz University Press
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Multicultural Shakespeare |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/szekspir/article/view/9362 |
| _version_ | 1828490251288444928 |
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| author | Katherine Hennessey |
| author_facet | Katherine Hennessey |
| author_sort | Katherine Hennessey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article opens with some brief observations on the phenomenon of Arab blackface—that is, of Arab actors “blacking up” to impersonate black Arab or African characters—from classic cinematic portrayals of the warrior-poet Antara Ibn Shaddad to more recent deployments of blackface in the Arab entertainment industry. It then explores the complex nexus of race, gender, citizenship and social status in the Arabian Gulf as context for a critical reflection on the author’s experience of reading and discussing Othello with students at the American University of Kuwait—discussions which took place in the fall of 2019, in the midst of a wave of controversies sparked by instances of Arab blackface on television and in social media. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:41:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60aff7d6d2ad455fb4c380458f6021a8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-7605 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T10:41:23Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Lodz University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Multicultural Shakespeare |
| spelling | doaj.art-60aff7d6d2ad455fb4c380458f6021a82022-12-22T01:10:35ZengLodz University PressMulticultural Shakespeare2300-76052020-12-01223710312310.18778/2083-8530.22.079255Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface ControversiesKatherine Hennessey0Assistant Professor of English, American University of Kuwait, and (in 2020) Research Fellow, National Endowment for the HumanitiesThis article opens with some brief observations on the phenomenon of Arab blackface—that is, of Arab actors “blacking up” to impersonate black Arab or African characters—from classic cinematic portrayals of the warrior-poet Antara Ibn Shaddad to more recent deployments of blackface in the Arab entertainment industry. It then explores the complex nexus of race, gender, citizenship and social status in the Arabian Gulf as context for a critical reflection on the author’s experience of reading and discussing Othello with students at the American University of Kuwait—discussions which took place in the fall of 2019, in the midst of a wave of controversies sparked by instances of Arab blackface on television and in social media.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/szekspir/article/view/9362shakespeareothelloantara ibn shaddadblackfacearab blackfacekuwaitegyptarab/ic film and theatrearabian gulf |
| spellingShingle | Katherine Hennessey Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies Multicultural Shakespeare shakespeare othello antara ibn shaddad blackface arab blackface kuwait egypt arab/ic film and theatre arabian gulf |
| title | Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies |
| title_full | Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies |
| title_fullStr | Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies |
| title_short | Interpreting Othello in the Arabian Gulf: Shakespeare in a Time of Blackface Controversies |
| title_sort | interpreting othello in the arabian gulf shakespeare in a time of blackface controversies |
| topic | shakespeare othello antara ibn shaddad blackface arab blackface kuwait egypt arab/ic film and theatre arabian gulf |
| url | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/szekspir/article/view/9362 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT katherinehennessey interpretingothellointhearabiangulfshakespeareinatimeofblackfacecontroversies |