FRAMING THE REPRESENTATION: DISCOURSES ON ARAB MUSLIM WOMEN IN DIASPORIC DOCUMENTARIES IN SPAIN

Abstract

This article evaluates the way Arab Muslim women are represented in documentaries by diasporic filmmakers and producers involved in social transformation and in giving visibility to individuals usually excluded from traditional narratives.  Based on the case studies Entre dos orillas, voces de mujeres marroquíes (Hicham Malayo, 2014) and Vidas invisibles: mujeres migrantes bajo el plástico (La Cosecha Producción Audiovisual, 2020), a qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine the messages about these women and their lives in Spain, and the framing devices used in the documentaries. Although these audiovisuals attempt to portray the diversity of Arab Muslim immigrant women's experiences rather than present a homogeneous and universal image, they follow the common narrative that portrays immigrants as an external addition to Spanish society, rather than as full members of it. This suggests that, although these works come from the margins of industrial production, they do not necessarily offer a groundbreaking discursive alternative to these collectives. Nor do they provide a representation of these women that contributes to (re)defining their collective identity as part of Spanish society, nor do they provide an understanding of Spain as a place of ethnic and social diversity.