HUMAN 1C Lecture 16: Rahimieh Lecture 4
Angeni Muralidhar Spring 2018
Women without Men - Film Adaptation
Diaspora
- Used to describe population migration and dispersal (voluntary and involuntary)
- Originally used to refer to the Jewish peoples’ forced exile from Israel in the pre-
Christian era and their subsequent removals from Spain, Portugal, and Russia
- Slavery in Europe and the Americas resulted in an African diaspora, whereby millions of
Africans were forcibly relocated to distant lands
- When you come back to the country after being away for the while, there a little things in
the language that set you apart from everyone else
- Diaspora of language that can isolate you even more
Film Adaptation
- Challenge the status quo and ideals of women in Iranian history
- Also wants to take away the shame associated with prostitution
- The nation does not allow things that do not fit into their perceived ideals
- The film’s foregrounding of the 1953 coup suggests an analogy between the nation's
liberton from western imperialism and women’s freedom from subjugation to Iranian
patriarchy but offers no end to the nation’s and women’s struggle
- The opening scene: a woman is standing on top of a building contemplating suicide while
the call to prayer sounds in the background
- She is not persuaded by the call to prayer
- Whatever effect it might have had is gone now
- He chador is missing; her hair is not covered
- Like the call to prayer not having any effect, the chador seems to be lower
- Self orientalizing: wants to show/ tell the viewers that they are travelling to a different
country with a different culture
- Conjure up Islam in direct opposition to the freedom of women
- Orientalizing: if you are a woman living in this community, you are already oppressed
and there is no way for you escape except through death
- She sets out to correct Western notions of Iran and Islam -- but she lands us right back
into the stereotype
- We never seen Munis hit the ground; instead, we see her chador
- Symbolic significance: the freedom is also freedom from the chador
- Goes up to the clouds and then travels to the garden
- It is as if her suicide has led to a transformation that enables her to return to nature
- Is she speaking for all women? For all Iranian women?
- She now has the capacity to read people’s minds
Document Summary
Used to describe population migration and dispersal (voluntary and involuntary) Originally used to refer to the jewish peoples" forced exile from israel in the pre- Christian era and their subsequent removals from spain, portugal, and russia. Slavery in europe and the americas resulted in an african diaspora, whereby millions of. When you come back to the country after being away for the while, there a little things in the language that set you apart from everyone else. Diaspora of language that can isolate you even more. Challenge the status quo and ideals of women in iranian history. Also wants to take away the shame associated with prostitution. The nation does not allow things that do not fit into their perceived ideals. The film"s foregrounding of the 1953 coup suggests an analogy between the nation"s liberton from western imperialism and women"s freedom from subjugation to iranian patriarchy but offers no end to the nation"s and women"s struggle.
