The Role of Media in the Threats and Opportunities of Globalization and Religion

Globalization, a construct which links different areas like culture, environment, economy and religion. One reason for this movement is the technical progress.

Ayatollahy primarily deals with the possibilities of the globalization in terms of religions. According to him religion belongs to the human culture and because of this it is important to take a closer look at this issue. Ayatollhy points out that people don’t have to accept the globalization passively. They have the chance to participate. 

 

Picture 1

In the following Ayatollahy refers again and again to the Islam, which is characterized not only by faith but also as social obligations include a religious theory of law. Everyday things become to spiritual activities and the globalization provides several ways to do hits, like the Itjehaad, which tries to make the divine compatible with the current situation,

In the course he approaches a lot of good arguments how religion could use the media.The new technologies open new possibilities for religion, for example to become omnipresent via internet. Religion can also be used as a solution for certain problem like bioethics or environmental pollution. The globalization and the media give the possibility to investigate religions at home.

Besides of all the chances there are a lot of problems. Through the globalization the separation between local and international areas has disappeared and represents a risk for some religions. Furthermore some of the old traditions have been destroyed through the globalization and as a result two generation could arise. Beside of these points the globalization weakened moral values; therefore religions should remove a moral structure.

Picture 2

These are only some of Ayatollahy’s issues. In general he has many good arguments, but he focuses heavily on the Islam and leaves out other religions. The article is divided very clear by different arguments.

This topic shows that religion has reached the limits of national boundaries and that the religions interact in a competition. By the globalization new problems appear, for example the question if a Muslim teacher is allowed to teach in the headscarf. In addition to Ayatollahy’s article religion have made their benefits through the media and the new technologies, like the presentation of their own religion via Internet. Also the influence of religion on other areas, for example in bioethics, where members of religions take part in bioethical commissions combined with medics. 

Tony Blair summarize the recent situation quite clearly: 'These are times of tumultuous change. The twentieth century order is history; and the forces of globalization are pushing all of the economies of the world – and all of the citizens of the world, with their great diversity of religious faiths – more closely together.'

Reference:

Ayatollahy H. 2008. The Role of Media in the Threats and Opportunities of Globalization for Religion. Journal of Media and Religion 7(1): 34-44.

Picture 1: Leoni AG: http://www.leoni.com/Rechtliche-Hinweise.123.0.html .

Picture 2: http://stopceta.ca/@images/globalization-machine.png .

http://faithandglobalization.yale.edu/.

Asian Stereotypes in the Television and Film Industries of the United States

Picture 1

During the history Asians developed a negative image,which was captured by the film industries.Shah's article deals about these stereotypes. He divided it in four different Asian stereotypes which were illustrate in the television. He also talks about how Asian Americans saw theirselves and struggle for their identities. The film industries simplify and gloss over the different Asian's identities. They formed stereotypes because they constitute it as something different. In general mass media are very important for the production of culture symbols.

Yellow Peril

The Yellow Peril and Dragon Lady arised in times, when Americans were afraid of the growing Asian population. They were concerned about their jobs. During this time a negative Asian picture was settled by politics and journalists. Films represent this attitude. The Yellow Peril is an  threatining, predatory Asian man who lust for white women (Broken Blossoms 1919 and The Cheat 1915). The Dragon Lady has also a negative image. She is sneaky, mean and seduced white men (Thief of Bagdad 1924).

Lotus Blossom

Between the 1913 and the end of the Second World War Japenese soldiers were illustrated as evil. In contrast Chinese were seen as trustworthy. In this time also the Charlie Chan stereotype arised in 1936. He is describes as a mysterious man with power and a positive character. Around ten years later the Japanese image changed by becoming a satellite nation of the US while the Chinese were seen as diabolic because of the communism. The Chinese were stereotyped as drug- addicted and as hatred of the Western. Over this period the stereotype of the Lotus Blossom developed. It is a positive image of an Asian women. (Sayonara 1957).

 Nowadays the stereotypes still present as in the Martial Law or Ally McBeal, where the stereotype of a Dragon Lady appear. 

The problems are that Asians are seen as a homogeneous group without their diversity. Furthermore Asians and Asian Americans are renowned as the same. To sum up there are two ways of thinking. On the one hand the Yellow Peril and the Dragon Lady who are dangerous and threatening for the Westerns and on the other hand Charlie Chan and Lotus Blossom which represent the opposite. The 'good' side for the Westerns.

But what did Asian say to this stereotyping? Shah points out that it was a time of isolation, segregation and racism. They fought againgst the stereotypes and for better work and living conditions. Over time some time Chinese movie productions has arisen to show the real Asian life. The result was the triangular cinema which present movies in an Asian perspective like the documentation Color of Honor in 1989. They want to mobilize people and tell the real stories about Asians as Sari Red (1988) which deals about a Asian women and her dangerous life in public and private sphere. The triangular cinema shows the real life and characters. Moreover they include the different Asian symbols and cultures.

Summarizing the stereotypes were made by Hollywood like the Orientalism. We have to keep in mind that Asian Americans have a complex culture and it is a challenge to control these images and to think about it.

 Social Repercussions of Asian Stereotypes in Media

Reference:

Lotus Bossom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AlbaneseButterfly.jpg .

Picture 1: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=movie&ex=2#ai:MP900406477|


Shah H. 2003. “Asian Culture” and Asian American Identities in the Television and Film Industries of the United States. Studies in Media & Information Literacy Education 3(3): 1-10. 

Yellow Peril: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YellowPeril .
 

Orientalism and the Australian News Media

In the last decades people of Middle Eastern and the Islamic faith has been stereotyped by medias. Isakkhan describes in his article how the Australian news media deal with this issue. He points out that some authors 'create a climate of fear and paranoia' (2009: 3) through their portray of terrorism and by reducing some people 'to the role of 'folk devil' after the 11 September 2001. The media make a distinction between Oriental people and Western civility, this is not a new phenomenon.

It begun during the colonial period after the Western felt the superiority over the Orient.

Printing in the 16th century

The technology of the printing press allowed to spread political texts like the Turkenkalender: An Urgend Appeal to Chrstendom Against the Turks (1454), where the Turks were describes as enemies. In the next centuries the printing press opened a new market for books, journals and newspapers. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the printing press begun to write about the interests of the empire and published a lot of texts about Orientalism, which deals with the 'others'. 

After the technology of printing arrived in Australia, they concentrate of the image of Asian migration and the natives. In this time the references to Islam and Middle East were very rare because Australia had a long relation to the Islam. But after some time the legislation against Chinese were extended to all coloured people including Muslims. 

After the First World War the Australian press published many stereotypical Orientalist images. Also there was a misunderstanding of jihad and 'holy war'. The press described the jihad as a war against Europe.

In general the idea of the 'other' reaches back to the past and lies in the earlies media texts. It is important that the Australian media manage their history of Orientalism and design a new positive image of the Middle East and Islam.

 

Reference:

Isakhan B. 2009. Orientalism and the Australian News Media. Origins and Questions. In Rane H., J. Ewart and M. Abdalla, Eds., Islam and the Australian News Media. Carlton: Melbourne University Press. Ch. 1, 3-25.

Letterpress: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buchdrucker-1568.png.