Smeeta Mishra

Young Muslim women on the face veil (niqab): A tool of resistance in Europe but rejected in the United States

In order to understand Muslim women’s views on veiling in the West, one must take into account historical and socio-political factors such as a country’s colonial/national history, the nature of its immigration regime, the demographic composition of immigrant groups, and how the nation operationalizes concepts such as secularism and citizenship. While academic literature and media reports on young Muslim women in Europe indicate that wearing the niqab or face veil is often viewed as an act of rebellion or a form of personal/political/religious identity, our in-depth interviews of young Muslim women in the United States reveal a different story. While half the participants in this study wore a headscarf or hijab, not one of them said they were interested in wearing the niqab. Instead, they believed the niqab was unnecessary in the American context. However, an overwhelming majority upheld the right of a woman to wear a niqab if she wanted to do so. Two American Muslim women narrated why they gave up wearing the niqab after wearing it for a short time.

Hybrid identities: American Muslim women speak

Drawing upon postcolonial theorizing on diasporic positionalities and Homi Bhabhas theorization on ‘third space’ and hybridity, this study shows how young American Muslim women engage in their own interpretations of Islam based on their individual needs and situations. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 respondents in Ohio and Texas in order to gain insights into the identities of American Muslim women with immigrant backgrounds. Respondents emphasized their own ‘research’ on Islam as an important foundation of their faith. The narratives of the American Muslim women showed that they subverted and transgressed dominant meanings, while negotiating new ones through their everyday lived experiences. However, without indulging in an uncritical celebration of interstitial spaces, this study also strives to highlight the power relations implicit in the performances of complex, hybrid identities in the post-9/11 American context.

Reconstructing the Indian public sphere: Newswork and social media in the Delhi gang rape case

In recent years, a growing literature in journalism studies has discussed the increasing importance of social media in European and American news production. Adding to this body of work, we explore how Indian and foreign correspondents reporting from India used social media during the coverage of the Delhi gang rape; how journalists represented the public sphere in their social media usage; and, what this representation says about the future of India’s public sphere. Throughout our analysis, Manuel Castells’ discussion of ‘space of flows’ informs our examination of journalists’ social media uses. Our article reveals that while the coverage of the Delhi gang rape highlights an emerging, participatory nature of storytelling by journalists, this new-found inclusiveness remains exclusive to the urban, educated, connected middle and upper classes. We also find that today in India, social media usage is rearticulated around pre-existing journalistic practices and norms common to both Indian reporters working for English-language media houses and foreign correspondents stationed in India.

Islam and Democracy Comparing Post-9/11 Representations in the U.S. Prestige Press in the Turkish, Iraqi, and Iranian Contexts

Comparison of post-9/11 representations of Islam and democracy in the U.S. prestige press shows that despite differences in coverage in the Turkish, Iraqi, and Iranian contexts, fear of political Islam persisted in all three discursive environments. While a political role for Islam was regarded as a threat to democracy, the U.S. prestige press emphasized the need to secularize and modernize Islam according to Western standards to render it compatible with democracy. It highlighted human rights abuses in Iran and expressed concerns about the possibility of Iraq becoming another “Iran” if the power of religious parties went unchecked. Dominant discourses in the U.S. prestige press often assumed that any visibility of religious commitment in the public and political sphere automatically implied a lack of commitment to democracy, human rights, and womens rights. Discourses that contested dominant perspectives on Islam and democracy by questioning Western hegemonic definitions were limited.

“Liberation” vs. “Purity”: Representations of Saudi Women in the American Press and American Women in the Saudi Press

This article analyzed representations of Saudi women in the American press after September 11, 2001. Using feminist criticism, the critique of Orientalism, and postcolonial discourses as theoretical frameworks, it also compared the representations of Saudi women in The Washington Post with those of American women in the Arab News. While The Washington Post overwhelmingly portrayed Saudi women as oppressed victims in need of Western liberation, the Arab News represented most freedoms enjoyed by American women as shallow. Even as the Arab News primarily constructed American women as ethnocentric, superficial, individualistic and immoral, it simultaneously bestowed Saudi women with the responsibility of resisting Westernization and preserving Islamic purity, national dignity and culture. While dominant representations of American women in the Arab News were pejorative in nature, those American women who were perceived as attempting to understand Saudi culture and praised Saudi customs, traditions and lifestyles were positively portrayed. Finally, the rescue discourses in the American press and the nationalist agenda in the Saudi press shared a defining characteristic: both had the same goal of disciplining the female body.

Gender and Workplace Experience

“Men are dominant, women are subservient;” “Men are aggressive, women are passive;” “Men are agentic, women are communal;” “Men are power-centric, women are person-centric;” “Men are single-focused, women are multi-focused;” “Men are bread winners, women are home makers.” The list of differences identified by researchers is seamless. Similarities have, rarely if ever, been recorded or found their space in research journals. Questions that readily come to the mind are: Does biological difference transcend all boundaries and get reflected in attitudes and behaviours clubbed under binary heads as “male” and “female?” Or is it that when the “difference” hypothesis yields null results, interest in the research topic wanes?

Social Media: The New Mantra for Managing Reputation

In a world where “one angry tweet can torpedo a brand,” 1 corporations need to embrace all possibilities. Social media2 have transformed the business and communication landscape and organizations appear to, reluctantly or willingly, recognize this change. Evolving patterns of communication, collaboration, consumption, and innovation have created new domains of interactivity for companies and stakeholders. In this changed scenario, there are opportunities for experimentation and correction, yet challenges abound. As on date, there are no definitive methodologies nor there is a ‘one-size-fits-all’ formula that can be applied to all situations for optimum results.

Self presentation in online environments: a study of Indian Muslim matrimonial profiles

This study examines the self presentation practices of Indian Muslim men and women in online matrimonial advertisements. Findings indicate that while Indian Muslims are using the new medium to adhere to traditional cultural and religious values, they are also making critical adjustments to adapt to the medium itself. While Muslim men and women claimed to possess different attributes in their profiles drawing upon gender role expectations in Indian society, they were identical in their preference for light skin or what is termed as ‘fair complexion’ in Indian English. An overwhelming majority of advertisers claimed to possess desirable skin tones and body types. Few Indian Muslim profiles highlighted external manifestations of religiosity, such as praying five times a day, wearing a hijab or burqa, and observing Ramadan. Further, results of this study also illuminate the influence of South Asian culture on Islamic practice, which is evident in the mention of caste identifications in the online matrimonial profiles.

IN THE EYE OF THE OCCUPIER

This paper investigates how a mainstream American newspaper (The New York Times) and an Indian counterpart (The Times of India) construct political violence within the American occupation of Iraq, and how they reconcile notions of democracy and occupation. For both newspapers, Saddam Husseins execution is the reference point to guide news selection. Findings indicate some differences in the two papers’ coverage, partly explained by the countries’ military involvement in the conflict and their history with Iraq.

Media convergence Indian journalists’ perceptions of its challenges and implications

This article explores the views of Indian journalists on media convergence in a context where the print media is thriving and Internet penetration is relatively low. Findings show that many journalists do not view convergence as a matter of survival as the print media remains robust. The lack of a strong revenue model for multimedia journalism also contributes to dampening enthusiasm about convergence among many journalists. However, forms of tactical convergence such as cross promotion of content among outlets owned by the same media conglomerate are becoming common. Coordination among journalists working on multiple platforms is more visible in the case of breaking news events than other areas. The desirability of multi-platform delivery by the same reporter is strongly contested among Indian journalists. Overall, journalists working at smaller organizations are more supportive of convergence than those working for large ones with an established reputation in a particular medium. Finally, the study indicates that any effort at introducing convergence in Indian newsrooms must take into account the strength and reach of the print media in the country.