HIST 247 - Cinema, Social Movements and Revolution in Egypt

FC SSCI CD

4 credits
What is the role of cinema in revolution? This course explores how cinema has contributed to social movements and mass uprisings in Egypt’s recent history. Cairo’s prolific film industry has mirrored political, socio-economic, urban & cultural transformations in the country. It has integrally participated in shaping radical ideologies & revolutionary activism. Informed by Postcolonial and Social Movement theories, this course investigates Egyptian cinema and resistance against colonial capitalism; Western imperialism; gender structures; queer repression; security state; neoliberalism; fundamentalist Islamism; oppressed sports?from the 1950s until the 2011; youth uprisings. Assignments include weekly films, film critiques, and a final research paper.
Prerequisites & Notes: This course is a required course in the Learning Community entitled From Bombay to Cairo: Cinema and Social Change. The other required course involved in the learning community is ENG 247: Shakespeare and the Colonies. As a ‘globally connected course’ it is also connected with a course in Comparative Literature offered at the American University in Cairo (AUC): ‘Literature and Cinema: Writing Back/Filming Back.’