Hichkas: the fearless Iranian rapper singing for ‘all the nobodies’
Dr Massoumeh Torfeh discusses Iranian rapper who articulates citizens’ discontent over the killing of protesters in a post on TRT World. See link
2101, 2020
0401, 2020
Donald Trump miscalculated the fallout of Soleimani’s assassination
Dr Massoumeh Torfeh discusses the aftermath of Ghasem Suleimani’s assassination. Dr Torfeh is a Research Associate at Centre for Global Media and Communications, SOAS. Link to article Image credit
1111, 2019
Dr. Zahera Harb discusses fake news and the Lebanese protests
Lebanon Protests and ‘fake news’ By Zahera Harb On October 17 a wave of protests erupted in Lebanon against corruption. Almost half of the Lebanese population took to the streets demanding an end to corruption, transparent economic policies, social justice and protection of the environment. Slogans, such as ‘down with the sectarian confessional regime,’ mingled with calls for the resignation of all state officials whose practices were regarded as corrupt
1610, 2019
Domesticating Otherness: The representation of Arabs in a Chilean Telenovela
Ismini Sahli Anastassiou, a former student in the Transnational Communities and Diasporic Media writes about Chilean telenovelas. Domesticating Otherness: The representation of Arabs in a Chilean Telenovela Latin American telenovelas and their romantic and carnivalesque storylines have turned out to be one of the most watched programmes in the region, as well as the most exported televisual products globally. The melodramatic narratives appeal to the family, thus proving to be
1410, 2019
Centre for Global Media and Communications scholar on Al Jazeera
The Listening Post on Al Jazeera English is a weekly programme that examines and dissects the world’s media, how they operate and the stories they cover. This week it takes a look at the recent protests in Iraq which resulted in the loss of over 150 lives, a shutdown by the government of the internet and attacks on media outlets by unknown forces. Aida Al-Kaisy joins this weeks programme to
1609, 2019
The promise of Chinese investment brings Iran in from the cold
Dr Massoumeh Torfeh, Research Associate at Centre for Global Media and Communications, explores a major new development in Iran-China relationship in a new article. She writes, “A Chinese investment pledge to the tune of a whopping $400 billion puts a wrench in American plans to isolate Iran – but what will it cost Iran? While the United States Administration wrestles with exerting “maximum pressure” on Iran, and the European signatories
0609, 2019
Birthright, Birthwrong: Representations of Jewish Diaspora in Online Media
Emma Jacobs explores competing discourses of identity on two Jewish websites. Emma did a module on Transnational Communities and Diasporic media in 2018/19 academic year. Image credit: “Birthright Israel: Bus 423” by HRYMX is licensed under CC BY 2.0 As a genre of travel, Birthright Israel—a free ten-day trip to Israel for Jewish young adults, funded by the Israeli government, Zionist organizations, and private donors—sits at a strange point of
1308, 2019
Are US-Iran tensions inching towards a resolution?
Dr Massoumeh Torfeh, Research Associate at the Centre for Global Media and Communications, explores the question Trump’s strategy in relation to Iran in the article linked below for TRT World: TRT Article link Featured image credit: “Kerman, bazaar” by hermien_amsterdam is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
0808, 2019
Dr Dounia Mahlouly awarded £75,000 research grant
Dr. Dounia Mahlouly, SOAS Centre for Global Media and Communications, has been awarded £75,000 to lead a new six-month research project, investigating British Council’s ‘Strengthening Resilience’ communication activities. The project, on which Dr. Dina Matar will act as advisor, will provide analysis of the experience of British Council’s Strengthening Resilience (SR) programme in promoting youth empowerment and state-civil society relations through media-based capacity building. It will explore the potential, limitations
0608, 2019
Reconciling Ethics and Policy Impact
In recent years, debates on global and national security have to a large extent relied on reviving the political terminology introduced by the post-9/11 War on Terror. Discourses underpinning the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War and media coverage of the 2015-2017 terrorist attacks in Europe have further established the normative, limiting and often-biased language of ‘Counter-terrorism’. Along with general concerns over misinformation, the threat of ‘terrorist’ propaganda is