Pan-Arab screenwriting

Subtitle:the (re)imagining of the Arab world through transnational Arab drama

Among the key trends in Arab television drama productions in recent years is the rise of the so-called ‘pan-Arab dramas’, serialised television fictions in which an ensemble of characters from various Arab nationalities is presented in transnational narrative settings. While the outbreak of the ‘Arab Spring’ and the consequent immigration of Arab talent (actors, screenwriters and directors) from their turbulent countries to the new centres of production may have played a role in this emergence, ‘pan-Arab dramas’ may have also been a natural reaction to the Arab television industry’s need to catch up with the ongoing boom of ‘glocal’ production and distribution approaches. Today, even though they have been initially criticised for lacking authenticity, ‘pan-Arab dramas’—in their different forms—are still increasingly produced by broadcast networks as well as on-demand platforms. Since television narratives have often been considered catalysts for national and transnational imagination, not only do pan-Arab dramas seem to challenge the classic production routine and format of the Arab television series (Arabic: musalsalat), but they also potentially influence the imagination of the Arab World’s cultural identity in the long term. Through a qualitative content analysis of selected pan-Arab dramas and interviews with their ‘makers’, this research aims to understand the screenwriting of these dramas within the discourses of national identity, popular culture and high-end television. Additionally, the research explores the context of these dramas’ screenplay development as a tool of cultural production with the potential to redraw the imagination of the Arab world’s cultural identity. With a deeper understanding of the texts and industrial practices, this research attempts to shed more light on a form of cultural products which has received little academic attention, thus hoping to contribute to the work of academics, policy makers and industry practitioners.

Publication year:2023

Keywords:Doctoral thesis

Accessibility:Embargoed