Silke Schmidt (Re-)Framing the Arab/Muslim To my parents Silke Schmidt (Dr.) studied American Studies, Political Science, and Communi- cation Studies in Germany and the U.S. Her research focuses on Arab American Studies, Culture and Economics, and Gender. Silke Schmidt (Re-)Framing the Arab/Muslim Mediating Orientalism in Contemporary Arab American Life Writing Dissertation an der Philipps-Universität Marburg, 2012. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Natio- nalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de © 2014 transcript Verlag, Bielefeld All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or uti- lized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any infor- mation storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover layout: Kordula Röckenhaus, Bielefeld Printed by Majuskel Medienproduktion GmbH, Wetzlar Print-ISBN 978-3-8376-2915-6 PDF-ISBN 978-3-8394-2915-0 Acknowledgements Any work of writing is not just the work of the writer. Writing is a solitary activity; it takes time; it requires endurance, and it constantly raises doubts – doubts about writing itself, doubts about scholarship, and doubts about life in its entirety. If the writer manages to overcome these obstacles, then the latter become part of the work itself, woven into the network of arguments, making them even stronger and more forceful in expression. This overcoming of challenges, however, cannot be done in solitude. It requires an entire web of love, friendship, and advice. I was gifted to meet people in the academy who combined intellectual power with human empathy, scholarly support and critical encouragement. Above all, my advisors Carmen Birkle and Nicole Waller are the ones who have accompanied my entire academic development – from the first seminar paper to the completion of the dissertation. Furthermore, Alfred Hornung contributed to my academic advance- ment by opening windows of opportunity. All of these scholarly role models never tried to impose their own academic goals on me. They never restricted me in any way. They always encouraged me to follow my intuition and to have trust and faith in my intellectual capabilities. Most importantly, they never allowed academic ambition to interfere with cordiality. For all this and for being the people they are, I want to express my deepest gratitude. Since a large portion of this work was conducted during my stay as a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in the fall of 2011 and winter 2012, a series of scholars in the United States contributed to the completion of it. Above all, Nadine Naber at the Department of American Culture became my lead- ing advisor. She is one of the most outstanding figures in the field of Arab Ameri- can Studies with an excellent international reputation. Her expertise and quick apprehension, her interdisciplinary openness, as well as her clear analytical thinking were an immense benefit to my work progress. Her big smile, charisma and life- confirming attitude in all situations served as major motivation. Ever since we met for the first time, it has been an absolute privilege and honor to work with Nadine. Further scholars at the University of Michigan and across the United States also deserve my special appreciation. Partly, these scholars already supported the work 6 | (RE-)FRAMING THE ARAB/MUSLIM on my M.A. thesis in 2009 and have meanwhile become important mentors. With- out their open-mindedness and their unlimited willingness to share their insights, I would never have been able to enter the field of research in the first place. The first ones to mention are Lisa Suhair Majaj and Suad Joseph. From our first encounters, they both met me with genuine frankness and support. Above all, they were the ones making my truly inspiring and life-changing time as a visiting scholar in the U.S. possible. Furthermore, I would also like to devote a special thanks to my Ara- bic professor and Arab American literary scholar Carol Bardenstein. One of the most important things she taught me is how powerful the word is and how many meanings it has. Her teaching skills as well as her capability to smile and encourage at times when life displays its darkest sides are absolutely exemplary. In addition, I would like to extend my gratitude to the range of interview part- ners who altogether showed not the slightest signs of reservations when asked to contribute to my work. Among them are Evelyn Alsultany and Sidonie Smith. Their insights and scholarly expertise meant a great benefit to the conciseness of my argument. The exchange with them and their intriguing critical minds are truly inspiring. This also holds true for the contribution made by one of the earliest and most influential scholars in the field of Arab American Studies and media research, Jack Shaheen, whom I had the privilege to meet at the 2012 Suleiman Conference in Dearborn. His encouragement of young scholars to walk novel paths should count as model for the dialogue between different generations of researchers. In addition to the outstanding individuals who supported my path as a Ph.D. student, I would also like to express my thanks to major institutional beneficiaries; namely the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Nation- al Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung). The DAAD repeatedly supported me throughout my entire university studies and allowed me to develop my professional and personal abilities in remarkable ways via several short- and long-term stays abroad. The acceptance as a fellow of the Studienstiftung in 2011 meant an over- whelming honor to me. The financial support of the foundation allowed me to fully concentrate on my dissertation for two consecutive years. In addition, the ideational support continues to substantially further my professional orientation. Since academic support is only part of the reason why this work could be completed, the other part of my gratitude and appreciation is directed to people who with their advice, friendship and love helped me become the person I am today. Among them are Shaunene and Sherrill Edwards, Asher Amir, Martin Kaiser, Tati- ana Cossentino, Marwan Kreidie, Mary Bejian, Katja Kurz, Kerstin Vogel, Helga Juli, Petra Wacker, Stefan Weinz, and Uwe Weissflog. A special thanks also goes to Susanne de Broglie who in a very critical phase of my dissertation provided professional support in a way that let me see the light at the end of the tunnel and who made me realize that “ramoner cerveau” does not lead to personal liberation. Contents Preface | 11 1. Introduction | 13 2. Life Writing Theory: Constructing Life, Claiming Authenticity | 47 2.1 Reconstructing the Construction of Self: Autobiographical Theory Today | 48 2.2 Media Framing Theory | 96 2.3 Framing Lives: A Mediated Theory of Life Writing | 120 3. The Framed Arab/Muslim: Mediated Orientalism | 137 3.1 The Ideological Frame: Orientalism | 137 3.2 The Political Frame: Everlasting War on Terror | 152 3.3 The Issue Frames: Race, Religion, and Gender | 170 4. (Re-)Framing the Afghan Fundamentalist in West of Kabul, East of New York | 191 4.1 Journalistic Agency between East and West (V1) | 192 4.2 Reframing the Muslim Fundamentalist (V2 and V3) | 204 4.3 Reception: The (Re-)Framed Muslim Fundamentalist and His Audience (V4) | 240 5. (Re-)Framing the Egyptian Belly Dancer in Letters from Cairo | 259 5.1 Scholarly Agency (V1) | 259 5.2 Reframing the Egyptian Belly Dancer (V2 and V3) | 271 5.3 Reception: The (Re-)Framed Egyptian Belly Dancer and Her Audience (V4) | 305 6. (Re-)Framing the Iraqi Terrorist in Howling in Mesopotamia | 317 6.1 Legal Agency (V1) | 318 6.2 Reframing the Iraqi Terrorist (V2 and V3) | 325 6.3 Reception: The (Re-)Framed Iraqi Terrorist and His Audience (V4) | 357 7. (Re-)Mediating Orientalism | 373 7.1 The (Re-)Framed Arab/Muslim | 374 7.2 Mediated Orientalism | 380 8. Conclusion | 401 Bibliography | 419 INDEX OF GRAPHS Graph 1: Media Framing on the Basis of Cognitive Schemata | 107 Graph 2: Reframed Theory of Production and Reception | 134 Graph 3: Frame Levels in Historical Perspective | 187 Graph 4: Multi-Level Framing Model | 189 Graph 5: Frame Model of West of Kabul, East of New York | 237 Graph 6: Frame Model of Letters from Cairo | 303 Graph 7: Frame Model of Howling in Mesopotamia | 356 Graph 8: Model of (Re-)Framed Arab/Muslim American Identity in Mediated Orientalism | 393 INDEX OF TABLES Table 1: Functional Comparison of Literary versus Journalistic Framing | 124 Table 2: Binary Vocabulary of Orientalism | 147 Table 3: Frame Resonance Matrix of West of Kabul, East of New York | 257 Table 4: Frame Resonance Matrix of Letters from Cairo | 315 Table 5: Frame Resonance Matrix of Howling in Mesopotamia | 372 Table 6: Comparative Frame Matrix | 375 INDEX OF IMAGES Image 1: “David with the Head of Goliath” | 115 Image 2: “Israeli David and Goliath“ | 158 Image 3: “There Is Nothing ‘Other‘ about Us” | 174 Image 4: Women Protestors in the Arab Spring | 184 Image 5: Book Cover of West of Kabul, East of New York | 241 Image 6: Audiobook Cover West of Kabul, East of New York vs. Press Photo 9/11 | 243 Image 7: Belly Dancers in the Past and Present | 279 Image 8: Book Cover of Letters from Cairo (back and front) | 308 Image 9: Television Is Our World | 339 Image 10: Book Cover of Howling in Mesopotamia | 359 Image 11: The Media World as Market of Ideas | 410 Preface Is it daring to think only in black and white colors? Can border drawing go on in a globalized world where borders are said to have disappeared? Is this ethnocentric? Is it Orientalist? Is it merely human? The following pages pose a challenge upon the reader.