ABSTRACT

Media, Ritual and Identity examines the role of the media in society; its complex influence on democratic processes and its participation in the construction and affirmation of different social identities.
It draws extensively upon cultural anthropology and combines a commanding overview of contemporary media debates with a series of fascinating case studies ranging from political ritual on television to broadcasting in the third world.

part |20 pages

Introduction

part I|64 pages

Media and ritual

chapter 3|29 pages

Political ritual on television

Episodes in the history of shame, degradation and excommunication

chapter 4|14 pages

Television's disaster marathons

A danger for democratic processes?

part II|66 pages

Media and identity

chapter 7|22 pages

The dialogic community

“Soul talks” among early Israeli communal groups

part III|83 pages

Media, public space and democracy

chapter 9|15 pages

Broadcasting in the Third World

From national development to civil society

chapter 13|15 pages

Promoting peace through the news media

Some initial lessons from the Oslo peace process 1

part IV|21 pages

Audience research: past and future

chapter 14|19 pages

Relationships between media and audiences

Prospects for audience reception studies