Seeing differently: (De)Constructing cultural narratives of blindness in al-Kīt Kāt and Scent of a Woman

Abstract

While disability studies have significantly evolved over the past few decades, cinematic representations of people with disabilities, particularly in Egypt, still remains an understudied area. Thus, the present paper uses the cultural model of disability to comparatively analyse two culturally diverse films that feature visually impaired protagonists; namely, the Egyptian al-Kīt Kāt (1991) and the American Scent of a Woman (1992). The study investigates the lives of two males who experience blindness after having been sighted, and analyses their culturally-constructed impairment, submission to/subversion of mainstream stereotypes, control (or lack thereof) of the metanarrative of blindness, and the effect of their impairment on the quality of their lives and the lives of those around them. It concludes that the films contribute to deconstructing dominant ableist narratives critiqued within disability studies, offering representations of blindness that are empathetic, multidimensional, and resistant to cultural stereotypes.