Episode
Aladdin x The Manichean Allegory
- Podcast
- Material Girls
- Published
- Jun 16, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4130
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
We can show you the world…of the pervasive colonialism in nostalgic Disney movies! In this episode, Marcelle and Hannah talk all about the Disney classic Aladdin . With the help of Abdul JanMohamed’s manichean allegory—an aspect of Orientalist literature—Marcelle leads us through a conversation that digs into the history of the “Disney vault,” the American values implicit in the movie, the relationship between exploitation and representation, and much, much more! Whether you remember renting the movie on VHS from your local video store or you first watched Aladdin on streaming, this episode is for you. Related listening: Pirates of the Caribbean x American Exceptionalism Barbie x Petro-Capitalism Sweet Potato Fries x Food Imperialism Witch, Please: Book 1, Ep. 2 | Orientalism Works Cited: “Aladdin (1992 Disney Film).” Wikipedia . 2 June 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_(1992_Disney_film)# . Accessed 3 June 2026. Cunningham, Andrew. “The Ultimate Collectors Guide To Disney VHS Tapes.” Our Departure Board . March 20, 2025. https://www.ourdepartureboard.com/blog/disney-vhs-ultimate-guide . Accessed 3 June 2026. “Disney Vault.” Wikipedia . 23 April 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Vault . Accessed 3 June 2026. JanMohamed, Abdul R. “The Economy of Manichean Allegory: The Function of Racial Difference in Colonialist Literature.” Critical Inquiry 12, no. 1 (1985): 59–87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1343462 . Said, Edward. Orientalism . Vintage, 1979. “VHS.” Wikipedia . 2 June 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHS . Accessed 3 June 2026. *** To learn more about Material Girls, head to our Instagram at instagram.com/ohwitchplease! Or check out our website ohwitchplease.ca . We'll be back next week with a Material Concerns episode! Material Girls is…