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City Research Online City, University of London Institutional Repository Citation: Karam, I.N. (2007). Arab satellite broadcasting, identity and arab youth. (Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City University London) This is the accepted version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link: https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/8544/ Link to published version: Copyright: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. Reuse: Copies of full items can be used for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge. Provided that the authors, title and full bibliographic details are credited, a hyperlink and/or URL is given for the original metadata page and the content is not changed in any way. City Research Online: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/ [email protected] ARAB SATELLITE BROADCASTING, IDENTITY AND ARAB YOUTH Imad N. Karam Submitted in requirement for the degree of PhD City University-London Department of Sociology September 2007 CONTENTS Tables 4 Illustrations 5 Acronyms 6 Acknowledgment 7 Declaration 8 Abstract 9 Chapter One: INTRODUCTION 1.1 What is this thesis about? 10 1.2 Why this study? 12 1.3 Youth as a category 14 1.4 Why Arab youth? 14 1.5 Why satellite broadcasting? 18 1.5.1 Why satellite television and youth in particular? 22 Chapter Two: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Introduction 26 2.2 Audiences in media and cultural studies 27 2.2.1 Audience research 28 2.3 Cultural globalization and cultural imperialism 34 2.4 Satellite television and the globalization debate 41 2.5 Arab youth identity and culture 44 2.5.1 Youth culture between the local and the global 50 2.5.2 Arab culture and identity: negotiating between 53 tradition and modernity 2.6 The construction of Arab youth identity 56 2.7 Conclusion 58 Chapter Three: SETTING THE SCENE 3.1 Introduction 60 3.2 History broadcastingin of satellite 61 the Arab World 1969 - 2007 3.3 Arab satellite channels 62 3.4 Arab audiences and Arab satellite broadcasting 68 ChapterFour: METHODOLOGY 4.1 Introduction 75 4.2 Techniques 76 4.3 Geographicalscope 78 4.4 Researchscope 79 4.5 Researchmethods 80 4.5.1 Focus groups 80 4.5.2 Survey 82 4.5.3Ethnography 84 4.6 The pilot study 85 4.7 Setting up fieldwork and negotiating access 86 4.7.1 Gender 88 4.8 Doing the research 89 4.8.1 Focus group interview questions 94 4.9 Ethics and confidentiality 96 4.10 Presentationof data in thesis 97 4.11 Limitation to the generalization 98 Chapter Five: ARAB YOUTH: CURRENT CONDITIONS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS 5.1 Introduction 99 5.2 Arab youth: an introduction 101 5.2.1 Youth and politics 102 5.3 Youth as pawns of the media and the culture debate 105 5.4 The generationgap 108 5.5 Youth and unemployment 114 5.6 Youth and emigration 120 5.6.1 Where to emigrate 123 5.7 Life the future satisfactionand 124 5.7.1 Youth Life Satisfactionand Perceptions 125 of the Future 5.8 Conclusion 132 ChapterSix: YOUTH AND ARAB TELEVISION 6.1 Introduction 134 6.2 Arab TV youth programming 135 6.3 TV and youth problems 139 6.4 Didacticism, monologuesand news about killing 145 6.5 Religious Arab programming: the other side of satellite 150 broadcasting 2 6.6 Youth responsesto religious programmes 154 6.7 Youth suggestionson Arab satellite television 159 6.8 Conclusion 161 Chapter Seven: SATELLITE TELEVISION: A BREATHING SPACE FOR ARAB YOUTH? 7.1 Introduction 163 7.2 Arab their in youth and representation the public 163 sphere 7.3 Youth perceptionsof politics and entertainment 167 7.4 Breathing Space:TV entertainmentand escapism 171 7.5 Conclusion 179 Chapter Eight: ARAB YOUTH CULTURE: THE ROLE OF SATELLITE TELEVISION 8.1 Introduction 181 8.2 Youth, role models and television 182 8.3 Youth satellite television and Arab role-models 185 8.4 Arab Satellite TV: a threat to Arab culture? 190 8.5 Music Clip The Arab video channels: emergence of 198 video culture 8.6 Youth and reality TV in the Arab World 204 8.7 Arab reality television 206 8.8 Youth attitudes towards Arab reality shows 214 8.9 Conclusion 220 ChapterNine: SATELLITE TELEVISION AND YOUTH IDENTITY 9.1 Introduction 222 9.2 Arab youth and identity 223 9.3 Youth identity: between attitude and behaviour 226 9.4 Entertainment, nation, politics, and morality 230 9.5 Youth responsesto entertainment programming 234 9.6 Conclusion 240 ChapterTen: CONCLUSION 243 APPENDICES I Gender differences 251 II Country differences 255 III The questionnaire 263 BIBLIOGRAPHY 276 3 TABLES Table 1 Breakdown of focus group interviews 98 Table 2 Young people'sreasons for wanting to emigrate 121 Table 3 Where to go: youth emigration destinations 123 Table 4 How satisfied are you with your life? 125 Table 5 How do you think the future will be? 127 Table 6 Why do you watch TV? 137 What kind do Table 7 of programming you watch most on 138 television? Table 8 TV and youth problems 141 Table 9 Favourite TV programmegenres... 148 Table 10 Islamic Arab religious satellite channels 152 Table 11 Christian Arab religious satellite channels 153 Table 12 Main reasonsfor watching television... 178 Table 13 How do you describethe Lebanesechannels? 226 4 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Ruby in her video clip EbaAbelny 55 Figure 2 Logo: Arab (Arabsat) 62 satellite communication organization ... - Figure 3 Direct-to-home TV broadcastingsystem 62 Figure 4 Arabsat TV channelslist 66 Figure 5 Picture: The ubiquitous satellite dish 71 Figure6 Map: the Arab World 79 Figure 7 Amr Khaled 151 Figure 8 Picture: the mosque and the satellite 155 Figure 9 Cartoon: news about killing 176 Figure 10 Controversial Arab female singers 193 Figure 11 Nancy Ajram in AkhaasmakAah 199 Comparison: images from 50s Egyptian film Figure 12 the of musicals with 200 ' female ' in images sexy singers modem music video clip ... Figure 13 The Arabic version of the X-Factor reality show 208 Figure 14 Protestsin Bahrain 209 Figure 15 Political cartoon 212 Figure 16 1layfa Wahbi in tlayat Alb! shown on Rotana music channel 233 Figure 17 Cartoon:Papa let me 235 Figure 18 Youth protestvideo clips 237 5 ACRONYMS ABC Arab BusinessCouncil ADEW Association for the Developmentand Enhancementof Women AHDR Arab Human DevelopmentReport AL Arab League ALO Arab Labour Organization ALESCO Arab LeagueEducational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization ANN Arab NewsNetwork ANND Arab NGO Network for Development APF Arab Population Forum ARABSAT Arab Satellite Communication Organisation ART Arab Radio and Television ASB Arab Satellite Broadcasting ASBU Arab StatesBroadcasting Union AUC American University Cairo CAMRI Communication and Media ResearchInstitute CNN CableNews Network ESC Egypt SpaceChannel ECSSR Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research GCC Gulf Co-operationCouncil GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ILO International Labour Organization LBC LebaneseBroadcasters Corporation MBC Middle East BroadcastingCentre MEBJ Middle East BroadcastersJournal ME Middle East MTV Music Television UAE UnitedArab Emirates UNESCO UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNDP United Nations Development Program WEF World EconomicForum WMF Women and Memory Forum 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would not have been able to complete this thesis without the support and dedication of so many colleagues,friends, and family over the last three years: Special thanks and gratitude to Professor Frank Webster who supervised this thesis, for his guidance, constructive criticism and unconditional support provided throughout the course of this endeavour. For those many individuals who supported me during the course of fieldwork and data gathering I would like to extend special thanks and acknowledgment for the value of their contribution, especially, Sherwet Ahmed and Dr. Inas B. in Egypt, Rawan Damen in Jordan, Mustafa in Emirates and Ahmed Abdel-Wahab, Ibrahim Sourani and Yasser Abu Moailag in Palestine. Deepest gratitude to John Solomos, Head of Sociology Department and Anthony Woodwiss, Dean of the School of Social Sciences at City university, for their continued support during the course of this research.This work would not have been completed without the financial support of the Department of Sociology and School of Social Sciencesat City University. Also I wish to thank many friends and colleaguesfor all the support provided at some stage or throughout this endeavour.To name a few: June Mitchell, Barry and Cecile Lowe, Peter Riddell, Ronnie Graham, Basil Jebril, Alan Channer, Kirstin Channer, and Mireille Hebing. Last but not least, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to my fiancee, Amira Mitchell, who has helped me not only by exercising maximum understanding and support, but also by sharing ideas and lengthy arguments about Arab media, youth and society as well as editing and polishing the English text of this thesis. This thesis is dedicated to David Channer who passedaway on the 15`hof September 2006. Father, mentor, and dear friend, he always supported me in quietness and in strength. May God rest his soul in perfect peace. 7 DECLARATION I grant powers of discretion to the University Librarian to allow this thesis to be copied in whole or in part without further reference to me. This permission covers only single copies made for study purposes, subject to normal conditions of acknowledgement. .; 8 ABSTRACT This thesis challenges a major theme found in Arab public discourse on youth, that the latter's consumption of television is passive in nature. Much discussion on Arab youth presupposesthat the consequencesof television for culture and identity are straight forward; that young people are merely passively absorbing materials that are offered.