Framing identities: representation of Arab Muslim women in Spanish series, films and documentaries during the second decade of the 21st century
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2025-01-10
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Universidad de Deusto
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Research on immigrant and diasporic minorities highlights the media's powerful role in shaping public perceptions and reinforcing social hierarchies. In Spain, studies demonstrate that media discourses often perpetuate cultural prejudices and maintain systemic inequalities, particularly for immigrants and diasporic communities.
This doctoral dissertation examines how media representations of minorities, specifically Arab Muslim women, influence the construction of identities and the articulation of alternative discourses, thereby aiding in the understanding of transcultural and social diversity in Spanish society. To this end, the representation of Arab Muslim women in Spanish fiction series, films, and documentaries from the 2010s is analyzed, addressing character portrayals, the prevalence of stereotypes, shifts in film production trends, comparisons of cultural narratives between cinema and television, as well as the impact of diasporic production on the development of alternative and disruptive narratives.
The study was conducted in three stages, resulting in the publication of three articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, with an additional paper currently under review. The research is divided into two key methodological phases: the analysis of fictional audiovisuals and the examination of documentaries. The first phase employed a qualitative character analysis of Arab Muslim women, along with the exam of the role of stereotypes in shaping these portrayals. In the second phase, a qualitative content analysis of documentaries was conducted, exploring the representation of collective identity through the framework of framing theory.
The findings of this doctoral research suggest a gradual transformation in the representation of Arab Muslim women in Spanish audiovisual media, with series leading this shift by presenting more varied and dynamic characters. In both fictional and non-fictional works, this transformation is evident in the evolution from dualistic representations of exoticism or marginalization to more nuanced portrayals of empowered individuals and protagonists of diverse immigration stories. Some narratives challenge stereotypes, act as cultural mediators between their communities and the broader society, and have transitioned from alternative production spaces, such as independent documentaries, to more mainstream platforms like subscription video-on-demand, thereby reaching a wider audience. Finally, this research underscores persistent challenges in the portrayal of ethnic and social diversity in Spanish audiovisual media. The representation of Arab Muslim women, in particular, does not yet adequately reflect the complex diversity of modern Spain. Still, hints of an imagined equality emerge where identities are renegotiated through interactions between local and diasporic communities.
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Materias
Sociología
Sociología cultural
Ciencias de las Artes y las Letras
Teoría, análisis y crítica de las Bellas Artes
Cinematografía
Sociología
Grupos Sociales
Posición social de la mujer
Sociología cultural
Ciencias de las Artes y las Letras
Teoría, análisis y crítica de las Bellas Artes
Cinematografía
Sociología
Grupos Sociales
Posición social de la mujer