Arab Television in Academic Scholarship

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, there has been an exponential increase in satellite television in the Arab world, with programming ranging from music videos to news, from reality TV programs to Islamic talk shows. Concurrent with this development has been the growth of academic scholarship on understanding the relationship between Arab television and social and political transformations in the Middle East. This article provides an overview of Arab television growth, especially that of pan-Arab satellite channels such as Al-Jazeera, and of scholarship about it. Academic work that focuses on theories of media globalization and the public sphere, and that is in conversation with Western journalism and global media studies, is highlighted.

A brief history of the development of satellite channels in Iran

“…Unlike in the Arab countries, where, in some cases, satellite channels can strengthen anti-American feelings (Fahmy, 2012: 729), these channels have paved the way for Westernization, globalization (Karanfil, 2007: 62) and consumerism (Kraidy, 2002: 10) in Iran. The Iranian nationalism promulgated by some of these channels does not contradict the West (Tawil-Souri, 2008); indeed, it is consistent with both globalization (Sakr, 2001: 64) and Western values. With the advent of satellite channels, some researchers believe that a new communication paradigm is forming in the Middle East (Chalaby, 2005: 30).…”

Diasporic Film Cultures from a Multi-level Perspective: Moroccan and Indian Cinematic Flows In and Towards Antwerp (Belgium)

“…The community is characterized by a major Berber population, whose native language is Amazigh rather than Arabic. Interestingly, the Moroccan case connects with the pan-Arab media sphere, which has been thoroughly investigated in the last few years (Mellor, Ayish, Dajani, & Rinnawi, 2011;Tawil-Souri, 2008).…”

The Relationship between the State and the New Media in Egypt: A Dynamic of Openness, Adaptation, and Narrowing

“…The study of the mass media in the Arab world hardly existed as a well-developed and independent research subfield until the 1990s (Armbrust, 2012, p. 156). With the emergence of satellite television and the internet, what was previously a marginalized area of study has become a vibrant field of research, accompanied by the growth of academic and professional institutions and journals focusing on the Arab media (Tawil-Souri, 2008).…”