Cosmopolitanism, Activism and Arab Documentary Film

Abstract

Since the 1970s, Arab documentary filmmakers have highlighted struggles for personal freedom, dignity and democracy by those restricted by oppressive systems of colonialism, occupation and authoritarianism. In this article I study four contemporary Arab documentary films to identify a path vital for the rethinking of cosmopolitanism and global citizenship in Middle East studies. After the 2011 global interest in the Arab uprisings, Syrian and Palestinian documentaries rose to acclaim at international film festivals, and won Emmys and Oscar nominations. The often character-led stories of these films defy orientalist views of the Middle East. Creative global communities at international film festivals are emerging, where Arab documentary filmmakers and their non-elitist stories connect on various humanistic, sociocultural and political levels with non-Arab peers. In this article my aim is to contribute to a redefinition of cosmopolitanism, one not based on the rationalism of the Enlightenment but on the universality of human emotion and sentiment.