Oriental Fantasy : A postcolonial discourse analysis of Western belly dancers’ imaginations of Egypt and dance festivals in Egypt

• Main Author: Hooi, Mavis
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linköpings universitet, Avdelningen för historie-, turism- och medievetenskap 2015
• Subjects: Tourism; belly dance; Oriental dance; Egypt; women; white women; postcolonialism; intersectionality; Orientalism; Discourse; Nordic exceptionalism; Social Sciences Interdisciplinary; Tvärvetenskapliga studier inom samhällsvetenskap; Globalisation Studies; Globaliseringsstudier; Performing Arts; Scenkonst; International Migration and Ethnic Relations; Internationell Migration och Etniska Relationer (IMER); Gender Studies; Genusstudier
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-125565

Belly dance is popularly practised in the West, and every year, thousands of enthusiasts and professionals from around the world travel to attend belly dance festivals in Egypt, which is considered the cultural centre of the dance. This bachelor’s thesis examines the discourses produced by Western or ʽwhiteʼ belly dancers from Sweden and Finland, on the topics of tourism in Egypt and belly dance festivals in Egypt. The texts are analysed using James Paul Gee's discourse analytical framework, combined with postcolonial theory, complemented with an intersectional approach. From the postcolonial and feminist perspectives, belly dance discourse in the West and tourism discourse are problematic, as they perpetuate Orientalist tropes and unequal global power structures, which build on colonial discourse. It is hoped that by identifying and questioning these aspects of discourse that are problematic in terms of equity, this study will make a small contribution towards mitigating its adverse effects, and towards social change. === <p>ORCID for Mavis Hooi : 0000-0002-0049-1095</p>