Anakena Paddon - Cultural Globalization in Media and Representation

Anakena Paddon

SOC 400

Cultural Globalization: Media and Representation

            I was quite excited to re-read Jarmakani’s excerpt from “Imagining Arab Womanhood”, because I remember watching the first airing of Steve McCurry’s National Geographic documentary on the search for “his Afghan girl” when I was much younger. I was already familiar with the photograph, and this search for the subject of the photo seemed like an exciting adventure. And yet, I remember my mother being disgusted at the whole process and never really understanding why.

            Now, years later, it becomes apparent that strong forces of American cultural and political imperialism were at play in this process. Using images of women, awaiting the white/Western savior in their oppression and misery, seems to trigger a twisted nostalgia for a romanticized version of colonialism, particularly when we discuss the “civilizing trope” (where Western societies feel able to justify decades of colonial rule by arguing that they were elevating the culture to a higher level of civilization).

            The important points that Jamarkani brings to light concern several important issues. Firstly, she recognizes the lack of historical context given to the history of women in the Middle East (see slide show with photos of Iran in the 1970s and 80s, with women at university etc). They are denied any past preceding the Taliban rule, to highlight the need for their saving.

            Parallel to this is the fact that the timing of this documentary is perfectly conjoined with the news coverage of 9/11 which soon spread to women’s rights in the Middle East. It is no coincidence that Steve McCurry’s search for Gula became a feasible project only after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the outright war declaration of the USA in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

            It seems as though the life of Gula has only been relevant when able to serve the greater purpose of turning an enormous profit and incredible fame surrounding both the original photograph of her as a young girl, the documentary of the search for the Afghan girl and the subsequent photoshoot with her covered in her burqa. Throughout the documentary, no particular attention seems to be paid to her as an individual. Rather, she is framed immediately as a rural, uneducated woman, unable to comprehend the enormity of the fame, opportunity and luck she is acquiring (as made evident by McCurry’s interpretation of her reaction “She is glad her picture was an inspiration. But I don’t think the photograph means anything to her. The only thing that matters is her husband and children”). We must remember that McCurry never even found out her name upon taking the initial shot, and that she has not received any of the profit from the worldwide spread of this photo (all the way to cities in Pakistan, where it is being sold as a postcard).

            Did he have the right to take that photograph? Artistically and aesthetically, I would definitely argue that the photo has strong and striking composition with incredible colors (particularly her infamous eyes) but it has been forever connected with McCurry’s story about her and our general impression of women in the Middle East. His work was not barrier-breaking, it served to reinforce political symbols in women in Afghanistan and Pakistan, starting in at the end of the 20^th century when the photo was taken all the way to the present. Work such as his is no doubt what inspired photographers like Annie Liebovitz to (sub)consciously make the choice to represent an Arab-American as a veiled woman, because we know no other image of them.

            Luckily, Abu-Lughod clarifies some of these misunderstandings, by setting the record straight about the quasi non-existant history of the wearing of the veil. Approaching this topic from an anthropological perspective which examines the significance of clothing in socio-cultural settings, she reminds us that the veil and the burqa were not always tied to religious meanings, but rather adopted when deemed the adequate and appropriate covering in public. The fact that we ignore the American involvement and responsibility in the rise of the Taliban explains why then the physical evidence of “control” over women (the veil, or burqa) became the representation of enemy and dangerous forces over the freedom and basic rights of women, justifying US invasion of the Middle East.

            Stabile and Kumar also confront this issue of the representation of Muslim women as victims of oppressors, waiting for saving, or, as Abu-Lughod quotes, “white men saving brown women from brown men”. Stabile and Kumar present a three-part analysis of the use of women’s rights, beginning with an overview of conflicts in Afghanistan (which serves to remind us of the proxy war that played out during the Cold War and the US’ subsequent involvement in the situation, mostly motivated by the search for oil profits). They then carry on with presenting the Afghan women as pawns in the international games and determining where they figure in wider agendas. Finally, the authors work on the current contemporary situation of Afghan women, displaying the fact that they still “endure terrible conditions” as evidence that the US foreign policy was simply using them as a tool, not actually working towards improving their living situation.

            I really enjoyed this article because it gives so much more historical context than the wider public is used to hearing about the situation in Afghanistan and how things really began heating up between world powers, and the rise of the Taliban based on funding from the US government. The history of the region and the exploration of its ties with the USA is intrinsically connected to the “damsels-in-distress” scenario, that portrays all Muslim women as weak victims of the men of their country, and desperately awaiting saving from American soldiers, news-casters, photographers (as in the case of McCurry) and politicians.

            The same tropes that once were used as a justification for colonialism (including in American colonies) are now being applied by the USA on the Middle East to secure petrol contracts and political control over the region. I think it is also important to consider that the USA never really publicizes women’s issues and abuses in the USA itself (“bad media”) but is very willing to “confront” these issues in “backwards” cultures that need help in running their own countries.

            Those three excerpts, by Stabile & Kumar, Abu-Lughod, and Jarmakani, present dire situations about the disgusting manner in which the news and media mogul empires function – how much is covered up, how much is twisted and how much is orchestrated by political will, power and money. Although it may seem more innocent, the discussions surrounding Truth Hurts’ single “Addictive” highlight at a smaller scale the influence these portrayals of foreigners have on us. The clumping of Indian music themes and instruments with the glorified, sexualized images of belly-dancing (denied all historical accuracy) from other regions in the Middle East show a clear lack of caring about the truth. While some are excited about the musical blending of styles from different areas of the world, the representation and over-simplification of the images (notably in the “Addictive” music video) essentializes multiple cultures into one simple smoothie of parts picked out by US media.

            I think that this week’s readings really highlighted the power injustices of globalization and how pervasive those injustices are in the representation of various countries, cultures and religions (and how, where there should be boundaries between those three factors, there are none). For me, it highlighted, once more, how critical we must be of all of our information intake, its provenance and the motivation for the source that produced it.