[Air-L] CFP, Special Issue of Feminist Media Studies, From Veiling to Blogging: Women and Media in the Middle East

[McLaughlin, Lisa M. Dr.]

Special Issue of Feminist Media Studies:

>From Veiling to Blogging: Women and Media in the Middle East
Edited by Nahed Eltantawy
Vol. 13, No.5, December 2013
 
Middle Eastern women have traditionally been viewed as weak and submissive,
passively accepting male authority and leadership rather than seeking to be
a leader in their own right.  From Edward Said¹s Orientalism to Lila
Abu-Lughod¹s ³Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?² women of the Middle East
have been portrayed as helpless creatures who are often hidden behind the
veil, quietly waiting to be liberated.
 
Recent democratic movements in the Middle East, popularly grouped together
under the banner of the ³Arab Spring,² signal the rise of a new kind of
political activism across the region, made possible, in large part, by the
now widespread use of social media. The world has witnessed millions across
Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Syria as they have marched to the
squares and told their stories of life under repressive political regimes.
How have women been involved in these events? What are their experiences and
stories? In addition to the more widely known stories of political
demonstrations in the region, there have also been more localized events,
such as the women-led driving protests in Saudi Arabia, that suggest that
there are many stories still to be told to unveil the realities of women¹s
experiences in the Middle East. In what ways have women utilized media,
including social media such as Twitter, Facebook and blogging for both
personal and political expression and have these platforms contributed to
the democratization of women¹s lives?
 
 This special issue seeks manuscripts that focus on Middle East women and
their relationship with the media old and new ­ how are women portrayed, how
and why do women utilize media and technology, and women¹s media production.
 
Topics of interest in relation to Middle East women and the media include
but are not limited to:
·      Media portrayals of women
·      Women¹s use of  social media
·      Women¹s utilization of media to promote  the ³Arab Spring²
revolutions 
·      Women and cyberactivism
·      women¹s use of media (old & new) for self expression and
identification
·      Women¹s utilization of media for empowerment
·      Women¹s media production
 
 
Please submit a 350-word abstract to Dr Nahed Eltantawy at:
neltanta at highpoint.edu by no later than April 1, 2012.
 
AIMS and SCOPE OF FEMINIST MEDIA STUDIES
Feminist Media Studies provides a transdisciplinary, transnational forum for
researchers pursuing feminist approaches to the field of media and
communication studies, with attention to the historical, philosophical,
cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions and analysis of sites
including print and electronic media, film and the arts, and new media
technologies. The journal invites contributions from feminist researchers
working across a range of disciplines and conceptual perspectives.
Feminist Media Studies offers a unique intellectual space bringing together
scholars, professionals and activists from around the world to engage with
feminist issues and debates in media and communication. Its editorial board
and contributors reflect a commitment to the facilitation of international
dialogue among researchers, through attention to local, national and global
contexts for critical and empirical feminist media inquiry.
For more information about Feminist Media Studies please visit:
www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rfms