Veiling the Superhero: A Comparative Analysis of Dust and Qahera

Safiyya Hosein

doi:10.20897/femenc/7913

Abstract

This article conducts a comparative analysis of the Egyptian webcomic superhero, Qahera with Marvel’s X-Men superhero, Dust by analysing the symbolic meaning of the veil in their storylines. By applying existing research from both comic scholars and postcolonial feminist researchers, this article illustrates how the veil can be used as a tool to perpetuate colonial prejudices as we see with Dust - or subvert them in the case of Qahera. Through both humour and political allegory, Qahera the Superhero has created a sensitive narrative for the veiled superheroine which speaks to the everyday life of a veiled Muslim woman in Egypt.

Highlights

In recent years, webcomics have enjoyed a surge in popularity with Muslim women creators such as Huda Fahmy and Sanya Anwar making comics that destabilise orientalist constructions of Muslim women through humour and insight
By illustrating how gatekeepers construct veiled Muslim women, this comparison will reveal how the webcomic Qahera the Superhero provides a counter-narrative to popular conceptions of veiled Muslim women as exoticised and oppressed
The growing popularity of webcomics is a testament to the eagerness of members of marginalised groups to speak with their own voices and under their own terms

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Webcomics have enjoyed a surge in popularity with Muslim women creators such as Huda Fahmy and Sanya Anwar making comics that destabilise orientalist constructions of Muslim women through humour and insight. The purpose is to illustrate how the medium of webcomics is a powerful tool that makes Muslim women from the Global South active agents in shaping their own narratives. By illustrating how gatekeepers construct veiled Muslim women, this comparison will reveal how the webcomic Qahera the Superhero provides a counter-narrative to popular conceptions of veiled Muslim women as exoticised and oppressed. Webcomics are significant in destabilising orientalist narratives about Muslim women by including their voices into media discourses and are a powerful social justice tool of representation

THEORISING THE MUSLIM SUPERHERO

CONCLUSION