The representation of Muslim men's and women's bodies in contemporary art

Abstract

Gender-related research in the Middle Eastern context has
mainly addressed the female body and the plight of Muslim
women in Islamic societies. Muslim masculinity has had little attention paid to it, in comparison with Muslim femininity. In my PhD, I attempt to further the analytical research on Middle Eastern art and gender by considering the impact of globalisation on local gender relations, and by taking masculinities into account so as to assess the interactions between the stereotypical representation of Muslim men's and women's gender practices. In this respect, I investigate how Western curatorial policies have strengthened traditional monolithic gender identity within the other culture, and how individuals (here, the artists/art critics who are associated with the Islamic world) respond to their fixed given identity. My intention is for this research to create more diversity in general perceptions of those cultural practices that represent Muslim men and women.