Original scientific paper
"Nicholas, we're at war and you need to choose sides." Muslims as national and religious antagonists in Homeland's narrative
Lisa Kienzl
; University of Graz, Institute for Religious Studies
Abstract
The US American identity after 9/11 focused (among other things) on a stereotypically constructed national enemy, visualized in the western imagination of Muslims and Islam. This resulted in an overall negative depiction of Islam in the broader discourse of US American (Christian) nationalism. In particular, the visual conception of Muslims shown after 9/11 is closely related to the collective memory culture of this date, as well as a politically constructed image of a political enemy. The antagonists in the narrative of the television series HOMELAND are Muslim terrorists and power-hungry politicians. The apprehended uncertainties of contemporary Western societies are channeled in HOMELAND, confirming to some degree racist and religiously constructed identity exclusion discourses.
Keywords
Nationalism; Religion; Identity; Islam; Antagonism; US American; Television series
Hrčak ID:
115425
URI
Publication date:
30.1.2014.
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