MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN — The public is invited to a screening of the documentary film “Reel Bad Arabs” on Monday, February 10 at 5:30 pm in the Peter White Public Library Community Room.
Subtitled “How Hollywood Vilifies a People”, this 2006 documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged from the earliest days of silent film to today’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters.
Featuring acclaimed author Dr. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs, the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today.
Shaheen shows how the persistence of these images over time has served to naturalize prejudicial attitudes toward Arabs and Arab culture, in the process reinforcing a narrow view of individual Arabs and the effects of specific U.S. domestic and international policies on their lives.
By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture.
The Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys initiative is a scholar-led reading and discussion program designed to foster opportunities for informed community conversations to familiarize public audiences with the people and cultures of Muslims in this country and around the world.
The program series has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association and there is no admission charge.
For more information visit www.pwpl.info or call the library at 226-4318.
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