Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015

This thesis investigates representations of “Muslim” women and girls in German popular culture 1990-2015. The thesis offers a symptomatic reading of three under-researched genres in the field: life writing, young adult literature and film. The figure of the “Muslim” woman or girl performs a crucial...

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Main Author: Selfe, Lauren
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/41895/
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author Selfe, Lauren
author_facet Selfe, Lauren
author_sort Selfe, Lauren
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This thesis investigates representations of “Muslim” women and girls in German popular culture 1990-2015. The thesis offers a symptomatic reading of three under-researched genres in the field: life writing, young adult literature and film. The figure of the “Muslim” woman or girl performs a crucial role in far-reaching socio-political debates in Germany. Indeed, such figures challenge the boundaries of “gender equality” and “secularism” and contest notions of “tolerance” and “integration”. The (in)visibility of “Muslim” women’s bodies and their apparent position in “Islam” function as ostensible indicators of their oppression and of “Islam’s” inherent incompatibility with “western” values. This study analyses the discursive function of such figures in German popular culture via three key research questions: what representational practices surround the figure of the “Muslim” woman or girl in German life writing, young adult literature and film? How do such representations function to produce “non-Muslim” subject positions? What is the function of this figure within narratives of feminism and assertions of “gender equality”? This study understands itself as an intervention into contemporary racist discourses in Germany and operates within a transdisciplinary framework of intersectional feminism, cultural and German studies. Ultimately, this thesis aims to make visible and interrogate the underlying hierarchies and agendas that drive representations of “Muslim” women and girls within the discourses studied.
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spelling nottingham-418952025-02-28T13:44:23Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/41895/ Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015 Selfe, Lauren This thesis investigates representations of “Muslim” women and girls in German popular culture 1990-2015. The thesis offers a symptomatic reading of three under-researched genres in the field: life writing, young adult literature and film. The figure of the “Muslim” woman or girl performs a crucial role in far-reaching socio-political debates in Germany. Indeed, such figures challenge the boundaries of “gender equality” and “secularism” and contest notions of “tolerance” and “integration”. The (in)visibility of “Muslim” women’s bodies and their apparent position in “Islam” function as ostensible indicators of their oppression and of “Islam’s” inherent incompatibility with “western” values. This study analyses the discursive function of such figures in German popular culture via three key research questions: what representational practices surround the figure of the “Muslim” woman or girl in German life writing, young adult literature and film? How do such representations function to produce “non-Muslim” subject positions? What is the function of this figure within narratives of feminism and assertions of “gender equality”? This study understands itself as an intervention into contemporary racist discourses in Germany and operates within a transdisciplinary framework of intersectional feminism, cultural and German studies. Ultimately, this thesis aims to make visible and interrogate the underlying hierarchies and agendas that drive representations of “Muslim” women and girls within the discourses studied. 2017-07-21 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en arr https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/41895/1/L.Selfe_PhD%20Thesis.pdf Selfe, Lauren (2017) Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. German Studies Feminism Cultural Studies Film Life Writing Young Adult Literature Adolescent Literature Muslim women
spellingShingle German Studies
Feminism
Cultural Studies
Film
Life Writing
Young Adult Literature
Adolescent Literature
Muslim women
Selfe, Lauren
Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015
title Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015
title_full Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015
title_fullStr Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015
title_full_unstemmed Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015
title_short Representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in Germany 1990-2015
title_sort representations of "muslim" women in life writing, young adult literature and film in germany 1990-2015
topic German Studies
Feminism
Cultural Studies
Film
Life Writing
Young Adult Literature
Adolescent Literature
Muslim women
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/41895/