Defense Date
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Dean's Office Qatar
First Advisor
Basma Hamdy
Second Advisor
Levi Hammett
Third Advisor
Giovanni Innella
Abstract
Orientalism, the Western practice of fetishizing cultures, extends beyond mere misrepresentation of the “other;” it epitomizes the underlying structures of colonialism and imperialism, infiltrating everyday life and eroding the moral fabric of Islamic society.
This thesis analyzes colonial control through the exercise of political power and the production of knowledge, investigating key events related to Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign and the narratives of resistance that emerged in opposition to it.
Through the lens of this 18th-century expedition, the study examines how Western knowledge systematically contributed to the dismantling of Islamic systems of knowledge. Select phrases from Colonial-era printed proclamations are extracted and embroidered into a two-part series of symbolic Sitarahs—textiles ritually placed at the door of the Kaaba.
The resulting Sitarahs expose the stages of Orientalist discourse, its symbols, and its language, echoing the oppressor’s voice. A visual, critical response to Orientalism, the work engenders an Arabic intellectual culture that prioritizes intrinsic Arab Islamic values, fostering a post-Orientalist society.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-10-2024
Included in
Islamic Studies Commons, Islamic World and Near East History Commons, Political History Commons, Reading and Language Commons