Art and Cultural Identity

Reem Lotfy Mahmoud Saad

doi:10.21625/archive.v1i1.104

Abstract

This paper analyzes aspects of Egyptian history, including unique qualities that influenced the Egyptian culture and gave it its identity that has developed throughout the years until today. It will also discuss Egyptian visual arts and its critical role throughout history, including how arts have appeared and developed over Egypt’s lifetime and influenced the Egyptian citizen. Furthermore, this research sheds light on the effects of every political change that took place in Egypt, and how that could be a mirror of the Egyptian civilization, its development and its decline while considering the role of visual arts throughout and after the revolution of 2011. Analyzing Egyptian culture, education, technology, internet and multimedia after the revolution can be imperative to understand the cultural identity and the role of visual arts in Egypt. Thus the mutual relationship between arts and the Egyptian cultural identity will be questioned, along with the way that they impact each other, and finally, how both of them could play a key role in developing Egypt after the 25th of January, 2011 revolution.

Highlights

Cultural identity can be defined as a set of moral and aesthetic values, along with common language that binds a society’s members, enabling the same community to build its real character through education, culture and employment, which in turn affects the world, our role and image in it
The research aims to determine the relationship between the Egyptian cultural identity and visual arts after the revolution of January 2011 and the challenges of that relationship
The Egyptian cultural identity thereafter remained distinctively Egyptian in it came to religion, arts, language and customs, despite imperialism and the introduction of new religions introduced over several decades since the 6th century BC, when Persians conquered Egypt, the Ptolemaic and Roman eras (332 BC–641 AD)3 (The Polemaic and Roman rule to the Arab conquest)

Summary

Introduction

Cultural identity can be defined as a set of moral and aesthetic values, along with common language that binds a society’s members, enabling the same community to build its real character through education, culture and employment, which in turn affects the world, our role and image in it. Culture and arts (visual arts included) embody our values, and define the basis of the good mental health of a society. These practices build an individual and collective sense of identity and citizenship. Economic, and social changes that led to the 2011 revolution caused instability in the Egyptian cultural identity. There are different elements in determining cultural identity, including visual arts asit is a mirror that reflects the rise and fall of the Egyptian society. The research aims to determine the relationship between the Egyptian cultural identity and visual arts after the revolution of January 2011 and the challenges of that relationship

Research Methodology

Findings

Conclusion