The way women are portrayed in the Egyptian TV series Il-Kabīr Awī

Abstract

Il-Kabīr Awī is a Ramaḍān TV series that was very popular in Egypt from 2010–2015 and continues to be shown on different TV channels. On his deathbed, the ʿumda, mayor of a village in Upper Egypt informs his son that he has lived a lie his entire life – his son’s mother is an American, and gave birth to twins. The father summons his American descendant, second of the twins, to come to Il-Mazārīṭa and receive his inheritance. This series provides excellent research material for an analysis of cultural differences and stereotypical perspectives. The main crux of the series is the adventures of the ʿumda’s sons. For this article, the research area concerns the portrayal of women. The research paper allows us to get to know how women are shown, and if the image the TV show presents of women is in any way compatible with reality. The author considers whether the way in which the female gender is represented simply presents a stereotypical viewpoint or it could send any messages to the public.