Awards

• Winner of European Society for the Study of English (ESSE) Book Award for Cultural Studies 2006 (Italy)

Overview

Reads belly dance through postcolonialism and queer theory. Throughout centuries of European colonial domination, the bodies of Middle Eastern dancers, male and female, move sumptuously and seductively across the pages of Western travel journals. Evoking desire and derision, admiration and disdain, allure and revulsion, this profound ambivalence forms the axis of an investigation into Middle Eastern dance -- an investigation that extends to contemporary belly dance. Stavros Stavrou Karayanni, through literary criticism, historical investigation, theoretical analysis, and personal reflection, explores how Middle Eastern dance actively engages race, sex, and national identity. Close readings of colonial travel narratives, an examination of Oscar Wilde's Salome, and analyses of treatises about Greek dance, reveal the intricate ways in which this controversial dance has been shaped by Eurocentric models that define and control identity performance. Stavros Stavrou Karayanni, through historical investigation, theoretical analysis, and personal reflection, explores how Middle Eastern dance actively engages race, sex, and national identity.

Full Product Details

9780889204546

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Reviews

Dancing Fear and Desire. ..enables a much-needed, and curiously belated, conversation between postcolonial and queer studies. And it rediscovers the occulted tradition that associates critical body with critical mind. Stavros Stavrou brings genuine understanding and enormous commitment to cross-cultural scholarship, and to the exhilarating tradition of dance itself. This exuberant book gives whole new meaning to the discipline of navel-gazing. --Stephen Slemon, University of Alberta

Dancing Fear and Desire. ..enables a much-needed, and curiously belated, conversation between postcolonial and queer studies. And it rediscovers the occulted tradition that associates critical body with critical mind. Stavros Stavrou brings genuine understanding and enormous commitment to cross-cultural scholarship, and to the exhilarating tradition of dance itself. This exuberant book gives whole new meaning to the discipline of navel-gazing. - Stephen Slemon, University of Alberta

Author Information

Stavros Stavrou Karayanni's publications include critical and creative work on culture, politics, gender, and sexuality in the Middle East. He has presented and performed at international conferences and cultural festivals. He teaches at the University of Calgary. READERSHIP: Suitable for courses in postcolonial literatures, queer theory, and cultural studies.

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