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Lädt ... "A Trade like Any Other": Female Singers and Dancers in Egypt (1995)von Karin van Nieuwkerk
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. RAMED00060 "This fascinating ethnography of professional female entertainers in Egypt brings together issues and ideas relevant to dance, anthropology, ethnomusicology, gender studies, and area studies.... By providing new insight into historical, political, economic, religious, and cultural forces, van Nieuwkerk accounts for the ambivalent attitudes towards female professional performers in Egyptian society as well as the way they cope with their status." —Ethnomusicology "Van Nieuwkerk's book is unique because it transcends formulaic suppositions and provides intelligent analysis of a world which has been overlooked for too long. She has partaken in the life of humble entertainers and has tried to understand and explain what their daily and professional lives are like, how they perceive their profession and themselves and how they are perceived by others. In doing so she has written a highly readable and enjoyable ethnography." —Middle Eastern Studies Karin Van Nieuwkerk certainly did a thorough job interviewing and exploring the roles a select sampling of women have had in the entertainment industry in Egypt and this book is one I'd recommend to lovers of history, dance historians and dancers in general. Her book is well researched and offers valuable information. However, because this paper was written for academic purposes some may find the writing style to be a little too formal. This sometimes makes the book a little dry and difficult to follow. However the effort is well worth it even if you normally don't read academic styles. She interviews several dancers who reveal a little bit about Egyptian society and their own lives allowing us to see how they came into this dance form despite the stigmas attached to dancers in Egypt. This is helpful for western women looking to understand the position of female entertainers in modern Egyptian society (also in most arab societies). Although much of their experiences are somewhat limited to the Mohammed Ali street area and Cairo in a larger sense much of it still applies to Egypt in general and much of North Africa and the Middle East. It takes a good look at the love-hate dynamic relationship Egyptians have with female performers and loos at the religious cultural, and societal implications of female performance. However, the book was written on research from the 1980's from a select sample of women in a relatively small sample area so when reading it remember that this research does not reflect the current entertainment trade in Egypt nor does it necessarily reflect the way things are everywhere in the Middle East/North Africa (although since it is specifically about Egypt one really shouldn't have that expectation anyways). For those who have already read the book or want to read a shorter updated piece, there is a follow up article by Karin Van Nieuwkerk available online at the following address: http://www.muspe.unibo.it/period/ma/index/number3/nieuwkerk/karin_0.htm This book looks at the 20th century evolution of Egyptian raqs sharqi (belly dancing) from its roots as a celebratory dance at family celebrations to a performing art seen in 5-star nightclubs. It also examines the position in Egyptian society of dancers. For my full-length review, please see http://www.shira.net/books/breviews/vannieuwkerk-tradelikeanyother.htm A look at the history of belly dance in Egypt and a glimpse into the lives of current and retired dancers from Muhammed Ali Street in Cairo. Check out Kashmir's review of A trade like any other at http://www.raqs.co.nz/articles/trade_like_any_other.html Zeige 5 von 5
Thirteen years later (2008) no other book on belly dancing has yet come close to matching the excellence of her materials, an extraordinary glimpse inside the world of contemporary Egyptian entertainers. That being said, the average North American belly dancer intent on enlarging her knowledge about the source of her art might find my remarks overly enthusiastic. As both a belly dance historian and a past belly dance amateur practitioner I can sympathize with such a readership. For, as this book is not intended for "us" specifically, it can at times be frustrating. This book puts forward a wealth of data in a unique comparative case study that will interest several audiences. As a book about the traditional dancer and singer class of urban Egypt, it offers dance scholars and performers an intimate view into a little-known portion of the "belly-dance" world.
In Egypt, singing and dancing are considered essential on happy occasions. Professional entertainers often perform at weddings and other celebrations, and a host family's prestige rises with the number, expense, and fame of the entertainers they hire. Paradoxically, however, the entertainers themselves are often viewed as disreputable people and are accorded little prestige in Egyptian society. This paradox forms the starting point of Karin van Nieuwkerk's look at the Egyptian entertainment trade. She explores the lives of female performers and the reasons why work they regard as "a trade like any other" is considered disreputable in Egyptian society. In particular, she demonstrates that while male entertainers are often viewed as simply "making a living," female performers are almost always considered bad, seductive women engaged in dishonorable conduct. She traces this perception to the social definition of the female body as always and only sexual and enticing ?a perception that stigmatizes women entertainers even as it simultaneously offers them a means of livelihood. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)792.7082The arts Recreational and performing arts Stage presentations, Theatre Variety shows and theatrical dancingKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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