Between Us and Them: Deconstructing Ideologies behind the Portrayal of Saudi Women in Canadian Media Kinda Rabea Dahlan Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.A. in Communication Department of Communication Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Kinda R. Dahlan, Ottawa, Canada, 2011 Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate binary discourses of self and other constructed by Canadian media in the representation of Saudi women. One of the modest aims of this research is to expound on the status of centralized media coverage in Canada. Drawing on Hegel’s model of dialectics, as framed by Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978) and David Nikkel’s conception of a moderate postmodernism, this research also aims at contributing to the ongoing modern- postmodern discussion by delineating and examining the ways in which dialectical analysis can aid in the deconstruction of metanarratives in Western culture. Utilizing a qualitative research design that employs multidimensional modes of textual analysis, the thesis examined the changes in the portrayal of Saudi Women through a non-probability sampling of 88 Canadian newspaper articles selected from the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and National post between 2001-2009. One major finding was that the metanarratives guiding these representations did not change significantly despite changes in narratives as brought about by several major political events. The implications of this thesis revealed what the ideological influences framing these depictions, as well as whether or not the changes that they have undergone, were self-reifying in nature. The research also highlighted the implications resulting from assessing the ontological identities of Saudi women vis-à-vis a Western framework of values. i Acknowledgment First, I would like to thank God and my mother and father for giving me this opportunity to pursue a Masters of Arts in Communication at the University of Ottawa. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor and mentor, Dr. Mahmoud Eid, for his guidance and patience during this research. I thank you for all your unwavering support. My thanks also goes to Dr. May Telmissany and Dr. Lise Boily, the two members of my committee, for their insight and comments on this project. I would especially like to thank my sisters, Kenana for her unrelenting support and encouragement throughout the long months of this research, and Sofana for encouraging me to adopt my own voice and write “less with my hand” and more “with my head;” my brother, Faris, and friend, Yvette Leboeuf for their forbearance and for all their time spent discussing and sharing their views and ideas with me; and to my brother and sister Malik and Sarah for their words of wisdom; and last but not least; to Zouha for giving me the final push to see this research through. Thank you all for everything. I would also like to thank Rosemary Ernhofer for all her support and for pushing me forward towards my education. I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Shoshana Magnet and to Dr. Claire Turenne-Sjolander, professor and director of the Institute of Women’s Studies at the University of Ottawa, for their support and encouragement during my time as part of the IWS. Finally, I would like to dedicate this research to all my friends and family living in Saudi Arabia, especially to lifelong friend Munira Abd Al Wahid. ii Table of Contents Abstract..........................................................................................................................i Acknowledgment...........................................................................................................ii Table of Contents.........................................................................................................iii List of Tables................................................................................................................ iv Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Preface...................................................................................................................... 1 Research Problem and Objectives.............................................................................. 3 Thesis Overview ....................................................................................................... 8 Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 10 Unthinking Dialectics: A Hegelian Platform for Postmodern Deconstruction .......... 10 The Dialectic of Hegel.................................................................................... 10 The Fragmentation of Truth............................................................................ 16 The Parameters of Postmodernism ................................................................. 20 Ideology................................................................................................. 21 Language............................................................................................... 24 Gender................................................................................................... 27 Situating the Self and Other..................................................................................... 33 Speaking of Self ...................................................................................................... 38 Speaking of Other ................................................................................................... 45 Methodology................................................................................................................ 54 Research Design...................................................................................................... 54 Conceptualization.................................................................................................... 56 Research Questions ................................................................................................. 66 Data Collection and Analysis .................................................................................. 66 Findings....................................................................................................................... 72 The Canadian Mediascape....................................................................................... 72 Saudi Women in the Context of Three Timeframes ................................................. 73 Saudi Women and the Legitimization of War .......................................................... 74 Saudi Women and the Pursuit of Reform................................................................. 79 Saudi Women and the Beginning of the End of Partisanship.................................... 99 Discussion............................................................................................................. 107 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 117 Significant Findings .............................................................................................. 117 Limitations and Implications ................................................................................. 121 Thesis Summary.................................................................................................... 124 Bibliography.............................................................................................................. 126 References ............................................................................................................ 126 News Articles........................................................................................................ 138 iii List of Tables Table I. Ontology and epistemology of three postmodern views................................... 20 Table II. Primary dialectical relationship...................................................................... 63 Table III. Secondary dialectical relationships............................................................... 64 Table IV. Dialectical deconstruction of gender identity ................................................ 65 iv CHAPTER I Introduction Preface The depiction of the Orient has been the subject in many Western fields. In Orientalist art, it is framed as an emblem of colonialism in the paintings of Jean Léon Gerome. In political science, the Orient has been examined as a geopolitical other1—most notably in the progression of imperialism. In Social studies, some scholars have studied the Otherness of the Orient to shed some light on the structures of societies in terms of gender roles, social psychology, cultural dynamics, traditions, and norms. From a historical vantage, the representation of the Orient has been regarded as constantly changing. In imperialist art, Orientalist artists often used ethnography as a way to deflect criticism from what is primarily seen as an “erotic, exotic, and estranged Orient” (Locke, 1991: 271). Gerome for instance, depicted Oriental women as harems in exotic baths or draped in light translucent veils and garments that emphasize their eyes or figures. These early Orientalist depictions have since come a long way. With the widespread availability of different media today, and considering the events that once again situated the Orient, and more specifically the Middle East as