Canadian and US Mass Media Representation of Iranian Women
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Canadian and US Mass Media Representation of Iranian Women and Their Activities in Social Movements By Elahe Nezhadhossein A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Memorial University Summer 2020 St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador ABSTRACT Media can display a stereotypical image of women to represent, produce, or reinforce an inequality system. In Western mass media, images of Iranian women as women of a Muslim, Middle Eastern country may not provide a comprehensive view of these women. To understand the dominant discourses in the US and Canada’s mass media, my research asks: How are Iranian women represented in US and Canadian media, and have there been any changes in this representation during the years since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and, more specifically, after 2001? Have women’s activities in social movements in Iran, specifically since 2009, had any effects on their representations in Canadian and US media? Through a critical discourse analysis of four widely circulated national newspapers in Canada and the US, and using theories of hegemony and counter-hegemony, social movements and power of networks, and intersectionality, my research shows that women in Iran have gained attention from the Canadian and US mass media by means of their participation in street protests. The results show that media images of women and their activities since 2009 include more positive representations and are different, in the main, from the older images of women during the years immediately after the Islamic Revolution or stereotypical images of Middle Eastern women as victims of an oppressive Islamic system. In general, when women’s activities and their resistance take forms that are familiar to US and Canadian mass media, they receive greater visibility. The results also show that overall representations of Iranian women in the media vary more so with the orientation of newspapers than media geographies. However, in some respects, such as the images in which the hijab is featured, the dominant discourse has not changed; the hijab is represented as oppressive and negative in both time-periods. The focus of the newspapers remain on the hijab law in both time-periods, and women’s clothes are represented as mainly oppressive. Acknowledgment Thanks to my supervisors, Dr. Mark CJ Stoddart, and Dr. Liam Swiss, committee members, Dr. Karen Stanbridge, for their advice, guidance, and support. During the development of this project, I have presented conference papers in the Canadian Sociological Association conference in 2016, 2017, and 2019 and International Sociological Association 2018. Thanks to Dr. Adrienne M.F. Peters (Memorial University), and everyone in my conference presentation sessions for their useful feedback along the way through conference presentation and discussion. Thanks to my lovely friends for their support during my Ph.D. journey. And with special thanks to Dr. Narges Bajoghli and Paula Graham. With love to my family Farhad, Mom, Dad, Fatemeh, Vahid, Reza, Marina, Amir and Aylin Contents ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 13 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................ 16 Research Questions .................................................................................................................. 23 Background .............................................................................................................................. 24 Women’s Situation in Iran ................................................................................................... 24 Representations of Iranian Women in the Western Media .................................................. 29 Social Movements, Media, and Iranian Women .................................................................. 31 Theoretical Contribution and Significance .............................................................................. 36 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 40 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ........... 42 The ‘Other Women’ and Media ............................................................................................... 43 Media Theory ........................................................................................................................... 48 Social Movements, the Media, and Networks ......................................................................... 55 Intersectionality and Social Movements .............................................................................. 70 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................ 75 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 79 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 79 Mass Media Selection .............................................................................................................. 80 Data Collection ........................................................................................................................ 82 Text ...................................................................................................................................... 84 Images .................................................................................................................................. 90 Critical Discourse Analysis...................................................................................................... 93 Methodological Reflexivity ..................................................................................................... 97 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 100 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS: DISCOURSE ............................................................................... 102 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 102 Discourse................................................................................................................................ 103 First Time-period 2001-2009 ............................................................................................. 103 The Globe and Mail ....................................................................................................... 103 1. General representation: Not a Negative Image ................................................ 103 2. Clothing/Dress: Not a positive image .............................................................. 107 National Post ................................................................................................................. 112 1. General Representation: Mainly Oppressed ..................................................... 112 2. Clothing/Dress: Mainly Oppressive ................................................................. 115 The New York Times ...................................................................................................... 119 1. General Representation: More Inclusive .......................................................... 119 2. Clothing/Dress: Less Fashionable .................................................................... 121 USA Today ..................................................................................................................... 124 1. General Representation: Limited and Narrow ................................................. 124 2. Clothing/Dress: Limited and Limiting ............................................................. 124 Second Time-period 2009- 2018 ....................................................................................... 126 The Globe and Mail ....................................................................................................... 126 1. General Representation: A More Positive Image ............................................. 126 2. Clothing and Dress: A Negative Image............................................................ 130 National Post ................................................................................................................. 133 1. General Representation: More Resistance ....................................................... 133 2. Clothing/Dress: Less Freedom ......................................................................... 135 The New York Times ...................................................................................................... 137 1. General Representation; Diverse ...................................................................... 137 2. Clothing/Dress: Diverse but Mostly Oppressive .............................................. 140 USA Today ..................................................................................................................... 142 1. General representation: More Inclusive ..........................................................