Femininity and Dance in Egypt: Embodiment and Meaning in Al-Raqs Al-Baladi: Cairo Papers Vol. 32, No. 3 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9789774165931)

Considering the paradoxical position of al-raqs al-baladi or "belly dance" in Egyptian social life, as both a vibrant and a contested cultural form, this issue of Cairo Papers in Social Science considers the impact of wider socio-cultural and political forces on the marginalization of professional performers, on the one hand, and in defining the parameters for non-professional performances on the other hand. Through interviews with professional and non-professional female dancers in Egypt, it explores the relationship between al-raqs al-baladi and the dynamic cultural repertoire that produces notions of femininity and normative personhood in Egypt. As a dance that Egyptians learn in childhood, it exposes the cardinal relationship between culture and body movement. The study received the Magda al-Nowaihi Award for best graduate work on gender studies in 2010. Cairo Papers in Social Science 32/3

Author: Noha Roushdy
ISBN-10: 9774165934
ISBN-13: 9789774165931
Publisher: American University in Cairo Press
Language: English
Published: 04/25/2014
Pages: 118
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.40d