Belly Dancing to theMarseillaise: Zoulikha Bouabdellah'sDansons

Contemporary Art and the Critique of Everyday Nationalism

“…in the refrain of La Marsellaise to Dansons (Let's Dance) and salutes the far-famed motto If I can't dance, then it's not my revolution which is frequently attributed to Emma Goldman, draws attention to the fact that the official historical narrative and collective memory given through national symbols are not passively received by the public, especially by the 'other' French people from colonized regions. According to Shilton (2008), this work reveals the persistence of neo-colonial exoticisms, while reconnecting stereotypes and pointing to the potential for Arab and French identities to interact with each other.…”

“…Bouabdellah, on the other hand, covers her bare waist with the symbol of the nation, combining the sanctity of the flag with the female body, secularizing it and distancing it from the patriarchal plane. Moreover, as Shilton (2008) with the part consisting of stars of the American flag, sometimes reveal the militarist and imperialist character of America, sometimes the hybrid culture and life in America, and sometimes the traces of the artist's personal memory (Figure 2) that set the American flag as both a metaphorical and literal background for her. Although she was born into a family of Iranian origin, America, where she lived from a very young age, is the place she lives her life.…”