Overview

Why is Cleopatra, a descendent of Alexander the Great, a Ptolemy from a Greek–Macedonian family, in popular imagination an Oriental woman? True, she assumed some aspects of pharaonic imagery in order to rule Egypt, but her Orientalism mostly derives from ancient (Roman) and modern stereotypes: both the Orient and the idea of a woman in power are signs, in the Western tradition, of 'otherness' – and in this sense they can easily overlap and interchange. This volume investigates how ancient women, and particularly powerful women, such as queens and empresses, have been re-imagined in Western (and not only Western) arts; highlights how this re-imagination and re-visualization is, more often than not, the product of Orientalist stereotypes – even when dealing with women who had nothing to do with Eastern regions; and compares these images with examples of Eastern gaze on the same women. Through the chapters in this volume, readers will discover the similarities and differences in the ways in which women in power were and still are described and decried by their opponents.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dr Filippo Carlà-Uhink (Potsdam University, Germany) ,  Anja Wieber (Independent Scholar, Germany)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Weight:   0.644kg
ISBN:  

9781350050105

ISBN 10:   1350050105
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   06 February 2020
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Contributors Acknowledgments 1. Introduction Filippo Carlà-Uhink, Potsdam University, Germany & Anja Wieber, Independent Scholar, Germany 2. Semiramide in India. The Reception of an Ancient Oriental Warrior Queen in Baroque Opera Kerstin Droß-Krüpe, Universität Kassel, Germany 3. Carian Queens from the Orient to Greece and Back: The Reception of Artemisia I and Artemisia II Irene Berti, Independent Scholar, Germany 4. The Persian Boy, the Bactrian Girl and the Man from Macedon – Gender and Orientalisms in Mary Renault’s Alexander the Great-Trilogy Ann-Cathrin Harders, Universität Bielefeld, Germany 5. Drypetis in Fact and (Fan) Fiction Sabine Müller, Universität Marburg, Germany 6. Exotic, Erotic, Heroic? Women of Carthage in Western Imagination Marta Garia Morcillo, University of Roehampton, UK 7. In the Name of Cleopatra: Emma Hamilton and Catherine Stepney Make Their Mark Mary Hamer, Kipling Society, UK 8. Colon(ial)izing Fulvia: (Re)Presenting the Military Woman in History, Fiction, and Art Peter Keegan, Macquarie University, Australia 9. The Oriental Empresses of Rome. Severan Women in Literature and the Performative Arts Martijn Icks, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands 10. The Palmyrene Queen Zenobia in Syrian TV – Inverting Orientalism for Modern Nationhood? Anja Wieber, Independent Scholar, Germany 11. The Dark Gaze of Galla Placidia, Christopher Bishop, Australian National University, Australia 12. Theodora A.P. (After Procopius) / Theodora A.S. (After Sardou): Metamorphoses of an Empress Filippo Carlà-Uhink, Potsdam University, Germany 13. From Historical Enigma to Modern Role Model: The Reception of Sasanid Queen Širin in Contemporary Iranian Cinema Irene Madreiter, Universität Innsbruck, Austria 14. Instead of a Conclusion: Gynaecocracy in the Orient, Oriental Seclusion in the Occident Beate Wagner-Hasel, Universität Hannover, Germany Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

In a world where the terms `Western' and `Eastern' are politically charged, this book could not be more timely. By examining the construction of Orientalism in the ancient world and how the past has been used to reinforce modern prejudices, it lays bare the motivations that underpin such thinking. -- Art Pomeroy, Professor of Classics, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Orient/Other: what a dangerous, and yet fascinating mix! A unique gallery of powerful and intriguing figures embodying Orient, and Other, across time and space, from ancient to modern medias (such as games, comics, fanfiction) in a new, fresh perspective. A must-have for everyone interested in Orientalism and gender studies. -- Martina Treu, Researcher in Greek Literature and Drama, IULM University, Italy

In a world where the terms 'Western' and 'Eastern' are politically charged, this book could not be more timely. By examining the construction of Orientalism in the ancient world and how the past has been used to reinforce modern prejudices, it lays bare the motivations that underpin such thinking. Orient/Other: what a dangerous, and yet fascinating mix! A unique gallery of powerful and intriguing figures embodying Orient, and Other, across time and space, from ancient to modern medias (such as games, comics, fanfiction) in a new, fresh perspective. A must-have for everyone interested in Orientalism and gender studies.

Author Information

Filippo Carlà-Uhink is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Potsdam, Germany. Anja Wieber taught for many years as lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Bochum, Germany, and is now an independent scholar, Germany.

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