Evolution of Iraqi national identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Evolution of Iraqi national identity - Essay Example In the Middle East for instance it may not be anachronistic to see President George Bush and Osama bin Laden seen on parallel screens of different television channels simultaneously. This places greater pressures on the control of the mind space of the general masses for development of relatively sophisticated concepts as nationalism and national identity. Iraq has been the subject of considerable debate in international polity in the past few years. This is so due to the total revolution that the state has been undergoing post intervention by United States led forces in 2003 and toppling of the Saddam regime. Outbreak of a civil war has added to the confusion as no clear picture on the fractious polity of the hapless state and its people is emerging. Simultaneously we have seen proliferation of media in all its forms in this short period, partly initiated by the United States forces efforts at public diplomacy and partly due to the natural growth of media in the Middle East revolutionized by the entry of television channels as Al Jazeera. ... f the concept of national identity as it has existed in Iraq over the years, particularly from the time of the end of the First World War to the present times. How and in what way media can contribute to national identity is another facet which has been considered by an holistic analysis of media particularly its Iraqi dimension. The way ahead in involvement of the media in developing national identity in Iraq is covered in the final part of the paper. Identity is a political issue. Media and polity are umbilically interlinked as media is a political instrument of influence. Thus this study should provide us an insight of polity contributing to national identity as well as the role of media under such a dispensation. The Concept of National Identity Identity has been variously defined. When related to group identity it is said to be a sense of purpose and belonging to a common programme.1 It coagulates people with a notion of shared aims.2 It is also defined as a set of ideas which are constructed around the concept of a nation and relation of individuals and groups to these.3 In terms of national identity, it applies to people born and living in the same nation.4 Thus it would be clear that identity relates to development of commonality between two individuals or a group of people which creates a sense of belonging. It leads to cooperative relationship between people. When related with nations and people, two or more people naturalized in the same state and citizens of it can be called as nationals of that country. However this may be too narrow an understanding of national identity hence there is a need to develop this concept further to understand its nuances. The attitude that people display about their nations is said to construe national identity and its

Media economy and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Media economy and society - Essay Example According to Habermas, during the feudal economic system, matters of concern were handled by the church and the state and private individuals remained dominant. However, industrialisation and transformation of the feudal economy brought about the emergence of bourgeoisies. These individuals were subordinates to the proletariat and ruling class and had no say in running of the government. Enlightenment brought about by availability of cultural products such as newspapers and journals. The public sphere was a regulatory institution against the authority of state and entailed discursive relations rather than market relations associated with an economic system. It thus entailed political participation through medium of talk such as the coffee houses, societies and salons. It was free of class or race divisions, the issues discussed were the common good of all. One may tend to think that since the public sphere entailed discussions by the bourgeoisies, the medial had no role to play. Howe ver, media in form of publications was very crucial in providing information that served as basis for the discussions and consequently political action (Hauser, 1998). ... sk, â€Å"If the media was vital in enhancing public debate, how is it that it replaced the public sphere?† Mediums such as newspapers provided information to bourgeoisies that became subject of debate. However, advancements in the media overturned this rational-critical debate by private individuals. In the 1950s, the TV was the mostly used form of public sphere. The TV is informative to the consumers in regards to most of political and economic issues. However, the TV as a form of public sphere is not interactive; the viewers become consumers of information rather than participants. Moreover, unlike the coffee houses, salons and public assemblies the individuals consume the information in privacy of their homes thus no debate takes place. Besides, the media does not seek the opinions of the views. The privatisation of individual interests has the effect of disintegrating the society. Social gatherings where public opinions are formed and discussed are eroded thus undermining democracy and encouraging the emergence of totalitarian states associated with the capitalist economy (Herbamas, 1989). The media rather than providing information on economic and political issues are used as medium of advertising thus encouraging consumerism and capitalist economies. However, this view is often criticized since there are other forms of media or cultural products that enhance interactions among users hence public sphere is viewed as still in existence. For instance, growth of the internet has led to information explosion and increased interactions between individuals through social networks such as face book and twitter. These allow for participation by individuals in discussion of matters of concern hence contributing to public sphere (Fraser, 1990). For example, during the Arab