Media, State and Nation: Political Violence and Collective Identities (Media Culture & Society series)

In this incisive text on media and collective identity, Philip Schlesinger develops our understanding of the contemporary struggles over political discourse. Three key themes are presented. Firstly the concepts of `violence′ and `terrorism′ are shown to be fundamentally rooted in the competing communicative strategies of the state and of its opponents. The second part considers the external enemies of both nation-state and ideological bloc, and the final part addresses the involvement of media and state with collective identities, including those which transcend the boundaries of the state. By combining analyses of particular political issues and case studies of media-state relations, the book demonstrates the complexity of political commun Preface vii Acknowledgements x Part I Political Violence and the News Media Introduction to Part I 1 1 The Interpretation of Violence 5 2 ‘Terrorism’, the Media and the Liberal-Democratic State: A Critique of the Orthodoxy 17 3 The Media Politics of Siege Management: The Case of the Iranian Embassy Siege 29 Part II Fighting the Old Ideological Enemy Introduction to Part II 60 4 On the Shape and Scope of Counter-Insurgency Thought 66 5 Some Aspects of Communism as a Cultural Category written with Philip Elliott 92 6 The Rise and Fall of a Political Slogan: The Case of ‘Eurocommunism’ written with Philip Elliott 111 Part III Problems of Collective Identity Introduction to Part III 137 7 On National Identity (I): Cultural Politics and the Mediologists 139 8 On National Identity (II): Collective Identity in Social Theory 152 9 No Guide for the Perplexed: Collective Identities in a Changing Europe 176 Index 193 Part One. Political Violence And The News Media -- Introduction -- The Interpretation Of Violence -- The Media Politics Of Siege Management The Case Of The Iranian Embassy Siege -- Part Two. Fighting The Old Ideological Enemy -- Introduction -- On The Shape And Scope Of Counter-insurgency Thought -- Some Aspects Of Communism As A Cultural Category -- With Philip Elliott -- The Rise And Fall Of A Political Slogan -- With Philip Elliott -- The Case Of 'eurocommunism' -- Part Three. Problems Of Collective Identity -- Introduction -- On National Identity I Cultural Politics And The Mediologists -- On National Identity Ii -- Collective Identity In Social Theory -- No Guide For The Perplexed Collective Identities In A Changing Europe. Philip Schlesinger. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This text on media and collective identity aims to develop the understanding of contemporary struggles over political discourse. Combining analyses of political issues and case studies of media-state relations, the book demonstrates the complexity of political communication.