Leiden University Student Repository

Theyssen, Julia (2020)

"A whole new world"? - A comparative analysis of Middle Eastern representation in Aladdin 1992 and Aladdin 2019

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

In the past, scholars have associated negative representation of the Middle East and its people in Disney's movie Aladdin with political tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East. However, with the release of a new, less problematic version of Aladdin but continued tensions between the U.S. and the Middle East, this research poses the question “How can we understand the changing representation of the Middle East in Hollywood movies?” This research uses semiotics, as well as parts of Daniel Bar-Tal's model on stereotype formation to examine what factors influence representation of the Middle East in movies. It finds that representation in movies is dependent on a variety of factors such as politics, economic situation and societal channels.

Representation

Aladdin

stereotyping

film analysis

Author

Theyssen, Julia

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Culture and Politics

Supervisors

Strava, Christiana

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en