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UNIVERSITY of CALGARY Nationalism and Globalization in the Social Construction of the Internet in Canada by Delia D. Dumitrica A

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UNIVERSITY of CALGARY Nationalism and Globalization in the Social Construction of the Internet in Canada by Delia D. Dumitrica A UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Nationalism and Globalization in the Social Construction of the Internet in Canada by Delia D. Dumitrica A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE CALGARY, ALBERTA July, 2011 © Delia D. Dumitrica 2011 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81482-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81482-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduce, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada Abstract This thesis looks into the social construction of the internet as an object of discourse in relation to discourses of nationalism and globalization. It investigates this question by analyzing the discursive articulations of the internet in the spheres of policy, media and everyday life. Importantly, this research project originates in a view of the internet as a site where social values, forces and power networks intersect; this, I propose, makes the social construction of the internet a suitable site for exposing the dynamics and the concerns permeating our contemporary world. To get to these issues, this thesis relies on a Foucaultian theoretical framework for approaching the relation between discourses, power and material structures. By means of a critical discourse analysis, it investigates 7 federal policy reports and 134 news stories for their articulations of the internet in Canada. This data has been supplemented with a convenience sample consisting of 29 interviews with internet users across Canada; these interviews have provided an insight into how individuals articulate an image of the internet in relation to nationalism and globalization in everyday life. The results of this analysis point to the increased importance of the mutual adjustment of neo-liberalism and nationalism in legitimizing a particular distribution of power across the social landscape. This thesis exposes the processes through which the 'nationalization' of the internet takes place in the three analyzed spheres. It further proposes that, far from becoming obsolete, nationalism remains a major discourse for ordering the world and, thus, for legitimizing social action. n A ckn owledgements Throughout the years, many people have helped me become an intellectual. Some have inspired me, others have helped me discover where I stand and what I hold most dear. They have all challenged me to push my own thinking and to fall in love with new problematics. I owe a lot to my supervisory committee. Prof. David Mitchell has been the best supervisor for me. He gracefully offered me the opportunity to engage in theoretical debates on anything that crossed my mind; yet, he also reminded me to stop fighting intellectual wars and to focus on exploring the problematic at hand. Most importantly, he warned me of the thin line between knowledge and belief. Prof. Maria Bakardjieva has been my strongest supporter, as well as my strongest challenger; her comments throughout the years have prompted me to consider new angles and to scrutinize my own position. Prof. Rob Walker has been an inspiration ever since I have first met him in Tromso, back in 2004. The opportunity to listen to his lectures has been inspirational; his questions around this project have stayed with me, though I still have a long way to go in conceptualizing processes of boundary-making. All three members of my supervisory committee, as well as Dr. Byron Miller, provided very useful comments on earlier drafts of this thesis; needless to say, I am responsible for any mistakes or weaknesses that may exist in it. I would also like to also thank the professors who have inspired me throughout my graduate studies. Without their support and without the long discussions that I had with each of them, I would have never discovered the treacherous pleasure of critical iii thinking. Dr. Krassimir Kanev has been an inspiration in more than one way; his intellectual stature and his commitment to social issues have been a great source of motivation for me. My former supervisors - Dr. Miklos Sukosd, the Central European University, Dr. Vidar Vambheim, Universitet i Tromso, and Dr. J. Peter Burgess, the Peace Research Institute in Oslo - have all helped me crystallize my understanding of discourse and power, indulging my rambling speeches on nationalism. I also want to thank my friends in Calgary and abroad. The PhD-Girls in Calgary (Dr. Amanda Williams, Constance Friese, Georgia Gaden, Dr. Sharon Mah, Dr. Sophie Wertheimer and Yvonne Pratt) have been the most awesome support network I have ever had. Amanda, a special thank you for everything! My friends abroad are simply too numerous to name; yet, they have all been there for me in so many ways. A big thank you to Dr. Michael Skey for his on-going reminder that nationalism is worth studying (as well as for his advice on various chapters of this thesis). Finally, I am greatly indebted to my parents, for raising me to become a critical thinker. They have both encouraged me to read, learn and think; as my mother used to say, the only thing a parent can truly give her child is the skills to build for herself the life she wants. I thank them both for this opportunity. And speaking of opportunity, I was able to afford a PhD because of my husband, who has worked very hard for both of us. He has been my psychologist, my best friend and my greatest fan. This thesis is dedicated to them. IV Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents v List of Tables viii List of Figures ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 The issue 1 1.2 The background 4 1.2.1 The internet and the nation 6 1.2.2 The internet and the global village 7 1.2.3 Post-modernist approaches 9 1.3 The research project 13 1.3.1 Definitions 15 1.3.2 Methodology 19 1.4 Thesis structure 24 CHAPTER 2: NATIONALISM AND COMMUNICATION 27 2.1 Communication media in the field of nationalism studies 28 2.1.1 Emergence of the field 29 2.1.1.1 Mapping the logic of nationalism 31 2.1.2 Current debates and trends in nationalism studies 35 2.1.2.1 The debates over the nature and timing of nations 37 2.1.2.2 Nationalism and Globalization 52 2.2 Nationalism in the field of communication studies 57 2.2.1 Message transmission models 58 2.2.1.1 Cybernetic roots 59 2.2.1.2 Media functions and media effects 60 2.2.2 Critical models of communication 62 2.2.2.1 Media as cultural industries 64 2.2.2.2 Media as the public sphere 67 2.2.2.3 Media as mechanisms of encoding/ decoding meaning 71 2.2.2.4 Media, simulated realities and the end of grand narratives 75 2.2.3 Medium theory 78 2.3 Summary 81 CHAPTER 3: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK - IDEOLOGY, DISCOURSE AND MEANING-MAKING 83 3.1 Goals, definitions and assumptions framing the theoretical approach 85 3.2 "Comment Ton pense": From Ideology to Representation and Discourse 92 3.2.1 The Science of Ideas 93 3.2.2 The false consciousness 94 3.2.3 Articulation, interpellation and hegemony 98 3.2.3.1 Articulation 99 v 3.2.3.2 Interpellation 105 3.2.3.3 Hegemony 108 3.2.4 Discursive Practices 112 3.2.4.1 Discourse 116 3.2.5 From discourse to everyday understanding 119 3.3 Summary 122 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS 124 4.1 Critical Discourse Analysis 125 4.1.1 Background: Discourse Analysis 125 4.1.2 Critical Discourse Analysis 128 4.1.3 Principles of CDA 130 4.1.4 Limitations of CD A 132 4.2 The Method of Analysis 137 4.2.1 Data 138 4.2.2 The method of analysis for policy and newspaper texts 140 4.2.3 The method of analysis for the interviews 145 4.2.3.1 The interview sample 148 4.2.3.2 The questionnaire 150 4.2.3.3 The analysis 152 4.3 Summary 154 CHAPTER 5: AN OVERVIEW OF THE INTERNET IN CANADA 155 5.1 Communication and Nationalism in Intellectual Thought 156 5.2 Communication and Nationalism in the Policy
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