Iranian Community Media in Stockholm: Locality, Transnationality, and Multicultural Adaptation
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Iranian Community Media in Stockholm: Locality, Transnationality, and Multicultural Adaptation by Daniel Ahadi Master of Arts, University of Stockholm, 2004 Bachelor of Arts, Simon Fraser University, 2002 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Communication Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology Daniel Ahadi 2016 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2016 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: S. M. Daniel Ahadi Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (Communication) Title of Thesis: Iranian community media in Stockholm: Locality, transnationality, and multicultural adaptation Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Jan Marontate Associate Professor Dr. Catherine A. Murray Senior Supervisor Professor Dr. Kirsten E. McAllister Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Karim H. Karim Supervisor Professor, School of Journalism and Communication Carleton University Dr. Tamir Moustafa Internal Examiner Associate Professor, School of International Studies Simon Fraser University Dr. Faiza Hirji External Examiner Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies and Multimedia McMaster University Date Defended/Approved: June 27, 2016 ii Ethics Statement iii Abstract This study of Iranian diasporic media is located in Stockholm which became an important intellectual centre for Iranian exilic political activities in the 1980s. Employing interviews, textual analysis and policy research methods, this dissertation finds that Iranian ethnic media (and particularly radio) in Stockholm have demonstrated resilience and managed to stay relevant despite threats from commercialization and multiplication of competition from new international satellite and internet information providers. Such outlets are stronger than ever, and in a population well into its second and third generations, on the precipice of generational change. Very little about the Persian-language media in Stockholm studied suggests they channel a cosmopolitan or intercultural discourse, refuting Hamid Dabashi’s simple account of “cosmopolitan dispositionality” of Iranians (2007). Instead, they foster an ethno-centric, nostalgic “Persianist” subjectivity because the language is exclusively Persian, with no minority languages represented; they exhibit intracultural marginalization, while largely excluding women, youth and religious minority voices; show little content or organizational outreach; do not tend to collaborate and rarely translate into Swedish to raise intercultural awareness. Nonetheless, while many have failed and others arisen, they continue to give voice and represent community and locality in ways that no Internet platform and satellite television can because they offer an important sounding board for orientations to identity as “Iranian” or “Persian” within the local socio-cultural context, proving crucial in the process of “onboarding” into the Swedish society. The main argument is that the field of diasporic and ethnic media studies has to disrupt both celebratory and cosmopolitan tendencies, and victimization and minority discourses. Sweden proves a useful ground to explore the neoliberal turn and its disruptive impacts on universalist and social democratic civic ideals, to disclose the parlous circumstance of community media even amongst an allegedly advanced social welfare state under recent Conservative attack and the institutional failures of assimilative strategies in humanitarian and refugee immigration, and multicultural media infrastructure among diasporic peoples. Only through careful, non-media centric study of the multicultural communication infrastructure can researchers begin to grasp the symbolic and connective needs of different diasporic communities. This study concludes with suggestions for the concrete affirmative steps that can be taken to both strengthen the institutional capacity of immigrants in their chosen communities, and their ethnic media and expand its intercultural appeal in Stockholm. Keywords: Persian-language media; diaspora; Sweden; ethnic media; radio; multiculturalism; media policy iv Dedication To Nazgol, Sasha, Zahra, and Sima v Acknowledgements First and foremost my gratitude goes to the many interview participants who generously contributed to this dissertation by sharing their experiences with Persian-language media in Stockholm. I also like to thank my supervisory committee Prof. Karim H. Karim and Dr. Kirsten McAllister for their dedication to the project and their expert knowledge in the field of media research and migration studies. I am forever indebted to my Senior Supervisor, Prof. Catherine Murray for believing in me and in this project, and for her support and guidance throughout this long journey. Her graduate students have given her many nicknames over the years, including Saint Catherine, reflecting her generosity of spirit and kindness. She is to academia what Meryl Streep is to film: a true tour de force, principled, unparalleled, and full of passion for her work. My thanks also go to the many people who have over the years played a formidable role in the shaping of this work. They include my professors at the School of Communication, including Alison Beale, Ellen Balka, Bob Hackett, Yuezhi Zhao, Gary McCarron, Peter Chow-White, Stuart Poyntz, and Jan Marontate. This work would not have been possible without the administrative support that I received from Lucie Menkveld, Neena Shahani, Denise Vanderwolf, Jill Baryluk, Amy Soo, and Jason Congdon. To my friends: thank-you for the many conversations and exchanges we have had over the years. Without your expertise and emotional support this work would have been much more challenging. The list include Mirjam Gollmitzer, Ayaka Yoshimizu, Dorothy Christian, Ben Woo, Milan Singh, Marcos Moldes, Matthew Matsaganis, Vikky Katz, Babak Golkar, Ehsan Nojouki, and Masoud Ahmadi, and last but not least my con-conspirator and partner in crime Sherry Yu. A shout-out to the many students I have had the privilege to teach and supervise over the years. They remain a source of inspiration and always challenge me think about research and teaching in new and interesting ways. Lastly, my eternal love and gratitude goes to my beautiful family: my loving wife Nazgol and my greater-than-life daughter Sahsa, my parents Zahra and Mehdi, my sister Narges, my aunt Sima, my uncle Yousef, my cousin Sara, and my mother and father in-law Mahnaz and Bahidad. Words cannot describe my depth of gratitude for your love, patience, and emotional support. Daniel Ahadi Vancouver, August 10, 2016 vi Table of Contents Approval ............................................................................................................................. ii Ethics Statement ................................................................................................................ iii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements............................................................................................................ vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x Chapter One - Introduction ............................................................................................. 1 Iran as a case study ............................................................................................................. 1 Ethnicity as an identity marker ........................................................................................... 3 Media and representation of community ............................................................................ 4 An overview of Iranians in Stockholm ............................................................................. 11 The question of positioning: From ‘burden of representation’ to privilege of presentation .............................................................................................................. 14 Positioning the research: Diasporic cosmopolitanism? ........................................... 18 Critical intervention: Diasporic nationalism? .......................................................... 28 Chapter Two - Theory and Research Design ............................................................... 30 Media: From Public Sphere and to public sphericules ..................................................... 30 Ethnicity: Essentialist and situational ............................................................................... 36 Models of social adaptation .............................................................................................. 39 Diaspora: Narratives and counter-narratives ...................................................................