Special Issue of Feminist Media Studies:

From Veiling to Blogging: Women and Media in the Middle East Edited by Nahed Eltantawy Vol. 13, No.5, December 2013

Middle Eastern women have traditionally been viewed as weak and submissive, passively accepting male authority and leadership rather than seeking to be a leader in their own right. From Edward Said¹s Orientalism to Lila Abu-Lughod¹s ³Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?² women of the Middle East have been portrayed as helpless creatures who are often hidden behind the veil, quietly waiting to be liberated. Recent democratic movements in the Middle East, popularly grouped together under the banner of the ³Arab Spring,² signal the rise of a new kind of political activism across the region, made possible, in large part, by the now widespread use of social media. The world has witnessed millions across Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Syria as they have marched to the squares and told their stories of life under repressive political regimes. How have women been involved in these events? What are their experiences and stories? In addition to the more widely known stories of political demonstrations in the region, there have also been more localized events, such as the women-led driving protests in Saudi Arabia, that suggest that there are many stories still to be told to unveil the realities of women¹s experiences in the Middle East. In what ways have women utilized media, including social media such as Twitter, Facebook and blogging for both personal and political expression and have these platforms contributed to the democratization of women¹s lives? This special issue seeks manuscripts that focus on Middle East women and their relationship with the media old and new ­ how are women portrayed, how and why do women utilize media and technology, and women¹s media production. Topics of interest in relation to Middle East women and the media include but are not limited to: · Media portrayals of women · Women¹s use of social media · Women¹s utilization of media to promote the ³Arab Spring² revolutions · Women and cyberactivism · women¹s use of media (old & new) for self expression and identification · Women¹s utilization of media for empowerment · Women¹s media production Please submit a 350-word abstract to Dr Nahed Eltantawy at: neltanta@highpoint.edu by no later than April 1, 2012. AIMS and SCOPE OF FEMINIST MEDIA STUDIES Feminist Media Studies provides a transdisciplinary, transnational forum for researchers pursuing feminist approaches to the field of media and communication studies, with attention to the historical, philosophical, cultural, social, political, and economic dimensions and analysis of sites including print and electronic media, film and the arts, and new media technologies. The journal invites contributions from feminist researchers working across a range of disciplines and conceptual perspectives. Feminist Media Studies offers a unique intellectual space bringing together scholars, professionals and activists from around the world to engage with feminist issues and debates in media and communication. Its editorial board and contributors reflect a commitment to the facilitation of international dialogue among researchers, through attention to local, national and global contexts for critical and empirical feminist media inquiry. For more information about Feminist Media Studies please visit: www.tandf.co.uk/journals/rfms