Representations
Media Studies: Eduqas GCSE, topic 4.4.2
Man Like Mobeen - Representations
Man Like Mobeen subvert stereotypes of British Muslims, masculinity, and family, and offers more diverse and authentic representation than typical sitcoms.
Technical & audio codes as representation
- Technical codes
- Time-lapse (e.g. waiting outside the mosque) → exaggerates boredom for humour
- Low-angle pan of the mosque → shows its importance in community life
- Audio codes
- Diegetic sound (voices, sirens, dogs) → verisimilitude; everyday Birmingham
- Iconography
- Clothing, market stalls, props → realism; signifiers of a close, self-sufficient community
Representation of ethnicity
- The show challenges under-/misrepresentation of British Muslims.
- It depicts a working-class British Muslim community with authenticity.
- Mobeen is a British Muslim of South Asian descent, caring for Aqsa after their mother leaves.
- The friendship group (Mobeen, Eight, Nate) shows racial harmony (Black British + Muslim identities).
- Jokes about ethnicity highlight cultural tensions, but through self-aware comedy.
- Later parts of the series address racial profiling and extremism.
Representation of masculinity
- Mobeen challenges traditional masculinity:
- Caring, maternal role; responsible for Aqsa
- Care-worker job; hugs mates; domestic (“highly domesticated”)
- He also has masculine/“roadman” traits: a street reputation, an ex-drug dealer
- Dual identity → stereotype questioned, not reinforced
- Uncles Habib and Shady show traditional older masculinity; mentors but often comic.
- The show depicts comedy through contradictions (e.g. Habib’s double standards).
Representation of femininity
- Aqsa is strong, assertive, and rebellious.
- She holds power at home; she was also suspended for fighting.
- She is a mix of stereotype (teen girl tropes) and subversion (dominant, outspoken).
- Khadijah is confident, prepared, and questions Mobeen = a progressive representation of Muslim women.
- She is still partly controlled by her father → tension between tradition and agency.
- Older women are largely absent → a more traditional stereotype.
Representation of family & community
- Family is shown in a non-traditional way:
- Mobeen, Aqsa, Nate, Eight as a family unit
- The Muslim community is represented as supportive (uncles trying to help Mobeen).
- Birmingham/Small Heath is shown as culturally diverse, everyday, and lived-in.
- It reflects Gilroy’s idea of cosmopolitan conviviality (cultures coexisting positively).
- Guz Khan aims to give Birmingham a positive, authentic representation.
Test yourself on Representations
Which character is described as strong, assertive, and rebellious?