Arab stereotypes in American cinema over the twentieth century : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

I developed my idea for this thesis while watching an old black and white movie with my father. The scene depicted Arab and Western men sitting around a boat deck and singing joyfully along to a drum beat. My father commented on how positively relations between Arabs and Westerners were portrayed in older films. This caused me to begin to wonder if indeed the depiction of Middle Easterners in American cinema today had become much more negative compared to films of past decades. I wondered if stereotypes found in American films today were mainly positive or negative. Were Arabs really portrayed so badly in the cinema as I had heard in various complaints? I wanted to find out for myself.