fredag 11 december 2009

Dear Joseph Massad.

As a Westerner studying Arabic and researching about LGBTQ societies in the Middle East makes Joseph A Massad’s book ” Desiring Arabs” a very important tool.
”With this scholarly, intellectual history, Columbia professor Massad critiques how Arabs have narrated their sexual desires in scholarship and literature and attempts to explain recent changes in such narratives as a response to, and to some degree an internalization of, pervasive and pejorative Western views of Arab sexual desire.”

When you read, it absorbs you and every step that could be considered Western biased gives you a Massad slap, the Massad effect

After I read it, I came back with a lot of ideas. Thoughts where planted in my head that makes my work wider and richer. But the same criticism Edward Said’s book Orientalism got, is given to MR. Massad. In his attempts to point out the ”pure” Arab sexuality he create a state of Orientalism in Reverse.

I’m happy to have read it as a Westerner studying and researching in the Middle East. But there is a lot MR. Massad chooses not to take in to his story. And his critic for the Lebanese gay organization HELEM to minimize and makes them” agents” of the west is Orientalism in Reverse.

HELEM have replyed to Massads critic on Dialoges on Civilazation read it here


http://www.resetdoc.org/EN/Helem-replies-Massad.php


The quote is from a review on Amazon.com

2 kommentarer:

  1. Hi

    Join the syrian bloggers community please on www.syplanet.com

    salam

    SvaraRadera
  2. Hej, jag har läst lite i din blogg och tycker att den är väldigt intressant. Jag är en tv-student i Sverige, ska ner till Alexandria snart för att öva utlandsreportage.

    Vad jag skulle vilja göra är ett reportage om homosexualitet i ett muslimskt land, dock har det varit lite svårt att få tag på kontakter därnere. Om du har några eller några goda råd så får du jättegärna kontakta mig. (josefin.lundgren@gmail.com)

    Jag är tacksam för all hjälp jag kan få.

    Tack på förhand.

    //Josefin

    SvaraRadera