Tarek Fahmy: Cultural Critic

Review: Anatomy of a Stereotype
George Mosse
New German Critique, No. 42 (Autumn, 1987), pp. 163-168
Published by: New German Critique

Critique of:
Sander L. Gilman, Differnce and Pathology: Stereotypes of Sexuality, Race, and Madness. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985, 282pp.
Sander L. Gilman, Jewish Self hatred: Anti-Semitism and the Hidden Languange of the jews. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press, 1986, 461pp.

Essay Link

Quotes/paraphrases and thoughts on the text:

“A stereotype which continues to influence human perception remains present at all times, though it may not always find public linguistic expression” p.163

“these stereotypes are all the more strongly held, the more the so-called outsider departs from the standards which society has set for itself.” p.163

Like Ruth Amossy states in her text (previous post), pathology is homogeneous. A number of ‘outsider’ groups could be lumped together is the same stereotype.

People that were stereotyped were also used as cultural and political scapegoats; specifically in Nazi Germany.

Some of these stereotypes were extremely offensive in nature, especially in Nazi Germany.

My point here is to research the history of stereotypes and surely that period in time (Nazi Germany) is filled with them.

I also want to find similarities between stereotypes of today, specifically the ones directed at “Arabs’ and other stereotypes that were directed at different peoples like the African Americans, Jewish people, Native Americans, women, and countless others.

I reread the essay titled: ‘These People are…Men Eaters’: Banquets of the Anti-Associations and Perceptions of Minority Cultural Groups’, Philip A. Harland
and it gave me an idea.

Lets say that my visual project evolved to creating a subsidiary of SONY pictures that specializes in producing Arab/American films, including documentaries. My visual project would be to create the name of that subsidiary, it’s branding as well, and to finally work on the TV spots for that production company. I want to use after effects and final cut pro. I also would like to create it’s website including a PDA device version of it, utilizing Flash.

My thesis also evolved to: the influence of media on cultural stereotypes. Beginning with the cave man and his cave paintings, leading to ancient Egyptian wall paintings, moving to Greco-Roman literature, jumping to the Nazi propaganda machine, finally to present day Homeland Security America and the media.

Moreover, by creating this positive ‘media’ lobby I would be helping in reversing the negative media trend toward Arab-Americans.

Please, when you have the time let me know what you think.
I truly appreciate your input…..

Tarek

While continuing my research of stereotyping in the ancient world I ran into an essay titled: ‘These People are…Men Eaters’:
Banquets of the Anti-Associations and Perceptions of Minority Cultural Groups’, Philip A. Harland
in a book titled: “Identity and Interaction in the Ancient Mediterranean: Jews, Christians and Others”,essays in honour of Stephen G. Wilson.
LINK to the essay.

Greco-Roman Era, how outlaw or foreign anti-associations were dealt with in writing.

“The quotation in the title is found on a map of inland Africa in William
Snelgrave’s travel report of 1734.”

Describing the Africans as cannibals on the map of Africa in this travel report was also common in antiquity of describing and characterizing the ‘OTHER’ people. People that were foreign, prayed to a different deity, or even at times political enemies and such.

This essay concentrates on fictional writings in the Greco-Roman era that uses a number of methods to characterize the seemingly threatening ‘other’ in their society.

Allegations of cannibalism, human sacrifice, infanticide, incest and deviant sexual behavior were pointed at foreigners on a regular basis. These allegations were extreme and destructive in character and were intended on scaring the masses and estranging these foreign peoples.

Some sections in the essay describing the other:

a. ‘They ate and drank in utter disorder’
b. ‘They sacrificed a human being and partook of the flesh’
a. ‘Away…you who suck men’s blood’
b. ‘Come! Plunge the knife into the baby’: Judeans and Jesus-followers