Every year, the Arab television industry releases many new soap operas (musalsalat) during the month of Ramadan. But how has the Syrian conflict affected its film industry, which still sometimes releases dozens of shows per year? In this interview, Mira Nabulsi asked Christa Salamandra, professor of anthropology, about how writers and directors are navigating the unstable political landscape.
Host: Mira Nabulsi
Mira Nabulsi is a Palestinian researcher and communications professional based in California. She is interested in social movements, politics, news, rhetoric, ICT, digital media and language. She has contributed to Global Voices, Syria Deeply. Wired Citizenship: Youth Learning and Activism in the Middle East (edited by Dr. Linda Herrera), among other platforms and publications.
Guest: Christa Salamandra
Christa Salamandra is a Professor of Anthropology at Lehman College and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York. Her work explores visual, mediated and urban culture in the Arab world. Her forthcoming book titled, Waiting for Light: Syrian Television Drama Production in the Satellite Era. It explores the cultural politics of contemporary fictional TV creation.
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