Watching Arabic Television in Europe : From Diaspora to Hybrid Citizens

Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries "Challenging long-held perceptions about the assumed exclusionary impact of Arabic TV broadcasting within Europe, Slade debunks this notion impressively with nuanced theoretical argumentation, empirical data and field research in six European countries. A must-read for media academics and policy makers alike, this book deservedly and at the best possible time lands right at the heart of the debates on Arab communities in Europe, identity and citizenship issues.' - Khaled Hroub, Northwestern University, Qatar 'Media consumption and citizenship are linked in numerous ways, far more than most people realize. Christina Slade's study probes deeply into the nature of being European and the nature of being Arab, and how intersections of the two are affected by satellite television. This work will prove invaluable for anyone interested in how Arabic television channels are influencing the future of Europe."--Philip Seib, University of Southern California, USA "This book represents a very persuasive argument for a better understanding of Arabic television. Often in Europe we think only in stereotypes about Arab culture and behaviour, attitudes to women being a prime example. Christina Slade's sophisticated and knowledgeable findings are of great importance in helping, by the means of television, to correct much of this. Having worked and travelled extensively in the Arab world for many years, I can see that her book will help shatter the stereotypical ideas some Europeans have of their Arab neighbours."--Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne What are Arabic Europeans watching on television and how does it affect their identities as Europeans? New evidence from seven capitals shows that, far from being isolated in ethnic media ghettoes, they are critical news consumers in Arabic and European languages and engaged citizens. Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise in Europe, focused on Islam and on Arabs, and manifested in increasingly rigorous immigration regimes. What are Arabic Europeans watching on television and how does it affect their identities as Europeans? New quantitative and qualitative evidence from seven capitals shows that, far from being isolated in ethnic media ghettoes, they are critical news consumers in Arabic and European languages. Arabic speakers from the Maghreb, concentrated in Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid are bicultural, focusing on media in their European and Arabic homelands. Other Middle Eastern Arabic speakers are more transnational in their media. The author argues that hybrid television cultures of the sort found among Arabic speakers in Europe enhance, rather than detract from, the culture of civic life in Europe Anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise in Europe, focused on Islam and on Arabs, and manifested in increasingly rigorous immigration regimes. What are Arabic Europeans watching on television and how does it affect their identities as Europeans? New quantitative and qualitative evidence from seven capitals shows that, far from being isolated in ethnic media ghettoes, they are critical news consumers in Arabic and European languages. Arabic speakers from the Maghreb, concentrated in Paris, Amsterdam and Madrid are bicultural, focusing on media in their European and Arabic homelands. Other Middle Eastern Arabic speakers are more transnational in their media. The author argues that hybrid television cultures of the sort found among Arabic speakers in Europe enhance, rather than detract from, the culture of civic life in Europe. -- Publisher description Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-6 ‘Dark Tribalism’: Does Arabic Television Undermine Integration in Europe?....Pages 7-23 Arabic Citizens of Europe: Nativism, Formal and Cultural Citizenship....Pages 24-41 Europe Remediated: A Transnational Public Sphere?....Pages 42-59 Television Diaries: Arabic Media Consumption in the EU....Pages 60-79 ‘Arabic is important to me’: Making Sense of Media....Pages 80-95 ‘Citizenship Means Belonging’: Arabic-Speaking Europeans....Pages 96-114 From Diaspora to Hybrid Citizen: Reasoning across Communities....Pages 115-132 Back Matter....Pages 133-150