Arab Cinema: Beyond the Borders of Egypt

This fall semester of 2026, Dr. Rania Mahmoud will be offering her class on Arab Cinema through the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies (CLCS) department. This class introduces students to a cinematic tradition that was born in Egypt at the end of the 19th century and spread across the Arab world, exporting with it Egyptian culture and dialect. "I am excited to inform students about Arab Cinema. I am interested in helping students stretch their thinking and expand their knowledge as they address a non-Western version of a genre that many view as very Western. I am equally looking forward to stimulating class discussions."

Mahmoud started her academic career as an English major, focusing on postcolonial studies. Her dissertation was a comparative study of Egyptian and British literary representations of Egyptian political resistance to the British occupation, but she always had an interest in film. Growing up in Egypt, Mahmoud had a "fascination for Egyptian cinema classics - black and white movies that were shown daily." Her research in postcolonial studies helped her see these films with fresh eyes.

In describing her class, Mahmoud notes that, as in the West, many social and cultural debates in the Arab world unfolded on the silver screen: "Film became an important platform for discussing, negotiating and imagining the modern society that was forming in Egypt and the Arab world at the beginning of the 20th century." By the early 20th century, Egyptian cinema had become such a strong competitor that Hollywood started producing films dubbed in Arabic, and Egypt became known as Hollywood on the Nile. "Today, Arab cinema still remains host to important issues facing these diverse societies and reflecting the richness of these cultures." 

Mahmoud's goal with her class is to expose students to the history of this non-Western cinematic tradition and offer them new perspectives, creating room for answers that lead to awareness about/insights into another part of the world. "Interdisciplinary scholarship, coupled with a comparative approach, keeps us from slipping into generalizations." The class will look not only at issues important to the Arab world, but also how they differ by region, society and group, exploring these issues within the complexity of Arab societies and in contrast to other parts of the world. "Arab cinema stretches beyond the borders of Egypt covering countries in Asia and Africa. When we remember that there are 22 Arab countries, we begin to realize the complexity of the medium, itself a result of the complexity of the different cultures all classified under the umbrella 'Arab.'" 

Students interested in enrolling in Arab Cinema for Fall of 2026 can register in Workday under the Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies listing CLCS 5750V-003 - Special Investigations (Arab Cinema). There are also two undergraduate sections: ARAB 41003-001 and MEST 4003-004 with attached Honors sections.