Rebecca Joubin is assistant professor and chair of Arab studies at Davidson College. Her articles in Arabic and English have been published in the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Arab Studies Journal, Radical Society, The Cairo Times, al-Kifa al-Arabi, and al-Mada.

It is refreshing to find a book on Syria, especially at this crucial time, which deals with culture and entertainment rather than violence and suffering. Still, author Rebecca Joubin is not indulging in escapism for she rounds off her review of half a century of Syrian TV series by evaluating the effects of the current civil war on their production and subject matter. If one was ever tempted to shrug off Syrian 'musalsalat' as soap operas, The Politics of Love proves that they are much more. Scripts exhibit a high quality of writing since most of the writers are poets, novelists and journalists. Moreover, in contrast to many telenovelas, Turkish or otherwise, Syrian TV drama seeks not only to entertain, but to find remedies for society’s problems. In Joubin’s opinion, they are a diversified gage of changing social mores, an exposure of corruption, poverty and injustice, and often a coded critique of the government. ... Joubin, who chairs the Arab Studies Department at Davidson College, North Carolina, lived in Syria for a number of years where she immersed herself in the cultural scene while researching this book. Her obvious passion for the 'musalsalat' and concern for the cultural creators she writes about, make her book quite engaging. . . . Joubin’s research is totally unique, and The Politics of Love will be fascinating for all those interested in the topic. In the introduction, she expresses her hope that 'the reader will come away with a sense of the beautiful humanity present in Syria—of a remarkably cultivated, vibrant and diverse intellectual capital, which is unfortunately lost in current media depictions of war and bloodshed.' (p. 21) In this, she certainly succeeds.

• Introduction: The Televisuality of Syrian Popular CultureChapter 1: The Politics Behind Syrian Television DramaChapter 2: Political Parodies and Embattled Masculinity: Prison and Marriage Metaphors in Early Syrian Television Drama and Theater, 1960s-80s.Chapter 3: Marriage Metaphors in Contemporary Tales of the late 1980s and 1990s: Fighting the Dictator Within Chapter 4: The Development of the Politics of Qabadayat and the State in Early Historical Fiction Genre (1990s)Chapter 5: Fantasy of the Masculine Hero: Qabadayat Fighting Colonial Power in the Bi’a Shamiyyeh (Old Damascus) Genre (2000 Onward)Chapter 6: Subordinate and Subversive Masculinities as Political Protest in Bi’a Shamiyyeh Historical TalesChapter 7: Embattled Masculinity in Contemporary Tales: The Crisis of QabadayatChapter 8: On the Trials of Love and Sexuality before Marriage in Contemporary TalesChapter 9: Cultural Deconstructions of Femininity and Self-Identity in Marriage in Contemporary TalesAfterward: Drama Preparation Amidst an Uprising: Debates, Challenges, and New Directions

Rebecca Joubin is assistant professor and chair of Arab studies at Davidson College. Her articles in Arabic and English have been published in the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Arab Studies Journal, Radical Society, The Cairo Times, al-Kifa al-Arabi, and al-Mada.

It is refreshing to find a book on Syria, especially at this crucial time, which deals with culture and entertainment rather than violence and suffering. Still, author Rebecca Joubin is not indulging in escapism for she rounds off her review of half a century of Syrian TV series by evaluating the effects of the current civil war on their production and subject matter. If one was ever tempted to shrug off Syrian 'musalsalat' as soap operas, The Politics of Love proves that they are much more. Scripts exhibit a high quality of writing since most of the writers are poets, novelists and journalists. Moreover, in contrast to many telenovelas, Turkish or otherwise, Syrian TV drama seeks not only to entertain, but to find remedies for society’s problems. In Joubin’s opinion, they are a diversified gage of changing social mores, an exposure of corruption, poverty and injustice, and often a coded critique of the government. ... Joubin, who chairs the Arab Studies Department at Davidson College, North Carolina, lived in Syria for a number of years where she immersed herself in the cultural scene while researching this book. Her obvious passion for the 'musalsalat' and concern for the cultural creators she writes about, make her book quite engaging. . . . Joubin’s research is totally unique, and The Politics of Love will be fascinating for all those interested in the topic. In the introduction, she expresses her hope that 'the reader will come away with a sense of the beautiful humanity present in Syria—of a remarkably cultivated, vibrant and diverse intellectual capital, which is unfortunately lost in current media depictions of war and bloodshed.' (p. 21) In this, she certainly succeeds.

• Introduction: The Televisuality of Syrian Popular CultureChapter 1: The Politics Behind Syrian Television DramaChapter 2: Political Parodies and Embattled Masculinity: Prison and Marriage Metaphors in Early Syrian Television Drama and Theater, 1960s-80s.Chapter 3: Marriage Metaphors in Contemporary Tales of the late 1980s and 1990s: Fighting the Dictator Within Chapter 4: The Development of the Politics of Qabadayat and the State in Early Historical Fiction Genre (1990s)Chapter 5: Fantasy of the Masculine Hero: Qabadayat Fighting Colonial Power in the Bi’a Shamiyyeh (Old Damascus) Genre (2000 Onward)Chapter 6: Subordinate and Subversive Masculinities as Political Protest in Bi’a Shamiyyeh Historical TalesChapter 7: Embattled Masculinity in Contemporary Tales: The Crisis of QabadayatChapter 8: On the Trials of Love and Sexuality before Marriage in Contemporary TalesChapter 9: Cultural Deconstructions of Femininity and Self-Identity in Marriage in Contemporary TalesAfterward: Drama Preparation Amidst an Uprising: Debates, Challenges, and New Directions

Rebecca Joubin is assistant professor and chair of Arab studies at Davidson College. Her articles in Arabic and English have been published in the International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Arab Studies Journal, Radical Society, The Cairo Times, al-Kifa al-Arabi, and al-Mada.

It is refreshing to find a book on Syria, especially at this crucial time, which deals with culture and entertainment rather than violence and suffering. Still, author Rebecca Joubin is not indulging in escapism for she rounds off her review of half a century of Syrian TV series by evaluating the effects of the current civil war on their production and subject matter. If one was ever tempted to shrug off Syrian 'musalsalat' as soap operas, The Politics of Love proves that they are much more. Scripts exhibit a high quality of writing since most of the writers are poets, novelists and journalists. Moreover, in contrast to many telenovelas, Turkish or otherwise, Syrian TV drama seeks not only to entertain, but to find remedies for society’s problems. In Joubin’s opinion, they are a diversified gage of changing social mores, an exposure of corruption, poverty and injustice, and often a coded critique of the government. ... Joubin, who chairs the Arab Studies Department at Davidson College, North Carolina, lived in Syria for a number of years where she immersed herself in the cultural scene while researching this book. Her obvious passion for the 'musalsalat' and concern for the cultural creators she writes about, make her book quite engaging. . . . Joubin’s research is totally unique, and The Politics of Love will be fascinating for all those interested in the topic. In the introduction, she expresses her hope that 'the reader will come away with a sense of the beautiful humanity present in Syria—of a remarkably cultivated, vibrant and diverse intellectual capital, which is unfortunately lost in current media depictions of war and bloodshed.' (p. 21) In this, she certainly succeeds.

• Introduction: The Televisuality of Syrian Popular CultureChapter 1: The Politics Behind Syrian Television DramaChapter 2: Political Parodies and Embattled Masculinity: Prison and Marriage Metaphors in Early Syrian Television Drama and Theater, 1960s-80s.Chapter 3: Marriage Metaphors in Contemporary Tales of the late 1980s and 1990s: Fighting the Dictator Within Chapter 4: The Development of the Politics of Qabadayat and the State in Early Historical Fiction Genre (1990s)Chapter 5: Fantasy of the Masculine Hero: Qabadayat Fighting Colonial Power in the Bi’a Shamiyyeh (Old Damascus) Genre (2000 Onward)Chapter 6: Subordinate and Subversive Masculinities as Political Protest in Bi’a Shamiyyeh Historical TalesChapter 7: Embattled Masculinity in Contemporary Tales: The Crisis of QabadayatChapter 8: On the Trials of Love and Sexuality before Marriage in Contemporary TalesChapter 9: Cultural Deconstructions of Femininity and Self-Identity in Marriage in Contemporary TalesAfterward: Drama Preparation Amidst an Uprising: Debates, Challenges, and New Directions