โ Scribed by Jared Ahmad
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
In the years since the September 11th 2001 attacks, the al-Qaeda phenomenon has become one of the most written about, yet crucially misunderstood, threats of the 21st century. But despite the sheer volume of literature produced during the โwar on terrorโ period, few studies have sought to consider the way this entity has been represented within the news media. The BBC, the War on Terror and the Discursive Construction of Al-Qaeda addresses this significant gap in knowledge by providing an original and much needed assessment of the various strategies used to depict โal-Qaedaโ, and thus make it meaningful for British television audiences. Drawing on the work of French philosopher Michel Foucault, and focusing on Britainโs most watched and trusted news programme, the BBCโs flagship โNews at Tenโ bulletin, the book provides insight into both the visual and verbal nature of these representations and the way they have shifted over the course of a ten-year period, while also shedding light upon the broader political and social consequences of the BBCโs portrayals. In doing so, the book not only helps to develop a deeper understanding of the complexity of the BBCโs representations, and their various shifts and transformations, but also details the process through which โal-Qaedaโ has been pieced together from a range of cultural parts. And how, ultimately, the dominant mode of representation used to portray this entity is one that closely resembles Britainโs own, diverse multicultural โselfโ.
Front Matter ....Pages i-vii
Introduction: The BBC, The โWar on Terrorโ and โAl-Qaedaโ (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 1-20
Understanding Al-Qaeda as a Discursive Phenomenon (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 21-58
The September 11th 2001 Attacks (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 59-83
The January 5th 2003 Wood Green Ricin Plot (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 85-109
The July 7th 2005 Transport Bombings (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 111-139
The May 2nd 2011 Killing of Osama bin Laden (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 141-165
Conclusion: A Shifting Enemy (Jared Ahmad)....Pages 167-192
Back Matter ....Pages 193-226
Political Science and International Relations; Terrorism and Political Violence; International Security Studies; Conflict Studies; British Politics; Terrorism; Crime and the Media
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