Understanding Islam in the West through Critical Media Content and Discourse Analyses
Open Access
Author:
Shafqat, Bakhtawar
Area of Honors:
Letters, Arts, and Sciences (Abington)
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Carla Rae Chamberlin-Quinlisk, Thesis Supervisor Karen Weekes, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
media discourse media content Islam Muslims Orientalism
Abstract:
Events throughout history have constantly reconstructed the images of Islam in the West in a derogatory manner, debilitating the positions of Muslims and Islam in Western culture. Media has, undoubtedly, played an essential role in accelerating this process. Debbie Schlussel’s articles exemplify how propaganda is used in media to create negative representations of a society based on its creed. For the purposes of this essay, two articles were indiscriminately chosen for critical media content and discourse analyses, and the results obtained from the analyses were then used to explicate how misinformation conveyed to audience through intertextuality, voice of authority, conversationalization, and metaphors in media can create negative attitudes towards Muslims.
