4 Representing gender
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Guy Austin
Abstract
Gender is one of the most vexed questions in modern Algeria and has been approached in diverse films of different genres and periods. The context for the three films chosen in this chapter is to a large extent derived from not just Islamic traditions and taboos but also state policies in both colonial and postcolonial Algeria. Be they Arab or Berber, Algerian films engage with a series of taboos and traditions that centre on how women are looked at. Spatial segregation can be seen as an extension of the veil, and the spatial and social separation of the sexes is a perennial feature of Algerian cinema. Gender segregation is a given in the urban Algiers of Allouache's Omar Gatlato and Bab El-Oued City as well as in the rural villages of La Citadelle or Rachida and the historical settings of La Montagne de Baya or La Colline oubliée.
Abstract
Gender is one of the most vexed questions in modern Algeria and has been approached in diverse films of different genres and periods. The context for the three films chosen in this chapter is to a large extent derived from not just Islamic traditions and taboos but also state policies in both colonial and postcolonial Algeria. Be they Arab or Berber, Algerian films engage with a series of taboos and traditions that centre on how women are looked at. Spatial segregation can be seen as an extension of the veil, and the spatial and social separation of the sexes is a perennial feature of Algerian cinema. Gender segregation is a given in the urban Algiers of Allouache's Omar Gatlato and Bab El-Oued City as well as in the rural villages of La Citadelle or Rachida and the historical settings of La Montagne de Baya or La Colline oubliée.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vi
- Preface vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- 1 An introduction to modern Algerian history and politics 1
- 2 A brief history of Algerian cinema 20
- 3 The war of liberation on screen 33
- 4 Representing gender 61
- 5 Berber cinema, historical and ahistorical 100
- 6 After ‘Black October’ 121
- 7 Screening the ‘invisible war’ 141
- 8 Memory and identity 158
- 9 Conclusion 173
- Filmography 192
- Index 195
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vi
- Preface vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- 1 An introduction to modern Algerian history and politics 1
- 2 A brief history of Algerian cinema 20
- 3 The war of liberation on screen 33
- 4 Representing gender 61
- 5 Berber cinema, historical and ahistorical 100
- 6 After ‘Black October’ 121
- 7 Screening the ‘invisible war’ 141
- 8 Memory and identity 158
- 9 Conclusion 173
- Filmography 192
- Index 195
