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Books Egyptian TV Dramas — ‘The Faith and the Nation’ Local Contexts of Islamism in Popular Media By Lila Abu-Lughod Professor of anthropology and gender studies at Colombia University, Lila Abu-Lughod has authored many books, including “Veiled Sentiments” and “Writing Women’s Worlds.” In “Local Contexts of Islamism in Popular Media,” she follows on her earlier book, “Dramas of Nationhood,” and discusses the depiction of Islamism in the Egyptian media via television serials, which are finite, melodramatic series that often treat political and social issues. Abu-Lughod describes how the Egyptian government began waging a television propaganda war in the mid-1990’s against Islamism by means of the dramatic serials. She goes on to analyze what this campaign ultimately revealed about Egyptian society and the Egyptian concept of nation. She drew the content for this book from a lecture she delivered in 2004 at ISIM (International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World). She centers the piece on her early question: “Can religion any longer be understood without reference to the nation-state?” As she guides the reader through the anti-terrorist themed serials of the mid-90’s, describing the public debates that ensued as well as some of the shows’ unforeseen consequences, we come to see that, at least in Egypt, it cannot. Despite contending that “religion has again become the ideological hub of the public sphere,” Abu-Lughod maintains that “‘the nation,’ and what is good for the nation, now form the only legitimate grounds for debate about religion.” This, she writes, is due to “the entrenchment of the modern nation-state,” thanks to the politics of Nasser and his Nationalist predecessors. Furthermore, she sees television as a vehicle for fostering national debate. In other words, while the content of the ongoing debate may be religious, the media facilitates a national discourse on Islam and the nation. Arguing her point in a concise 15 pages, Abu-Lughod shows clear reason and makes a strong case for her conclusions. “Local Contexts of Islamism in Popular Media” is an excellent supplemental read for students and scholars of Middle Eastern Studies. This review appears in Al Jadid, Vol. 15, no. 61 (2009)
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