Negotiating Boundaries between Us and Them Ethnic Norwegians and Norwegian Muslims Speak out about the ‘Next Door Neighbour Terrorist’ in 24
Sammanfattning
Interpretive communities can read a media text in different ways. The present article
examines how various interpretive communities of young adults in Norway perceive the
action serial
24’s
portrayal of a Muslim family. It investigates the understandings and at
-
titudes informants express in their conversations about the Muslim ‘next door neighbour
terrorist’ stereotype, and sheds light on how
24
’s text can mobilize stereotypes and facili
-
tate stereotyping among viewers. The findings reveal different patterns of reception. The
ethnic Norwegian participants found gratifications in
24
’s storyline, while a majority of the
Norwegian Muslims found it unpleasant and offensive. An important contribution to the
fear that the stereotype evoked in the ethnic Norwegians was related to the challenge and
tension it created in the negotiation process of categorization. The category ‘Muslim’ trig
-
gered a powerful response, and the conversation veered off in a xenophobic direction. This
is an example of how an interpretive community modified its perception of the stereotype
through socially patterned readings.
Utgivare
Nordic Council of Ministers, Nordicom
Källa
Nordicom Review 33 (2012) 1, pp. 37-52
Samlingar
Fil(er)
Datum
2012-08Författare
Halse, Rolf
Nyckelord
audience research
sterotyping
empirical analysis
TV
focus group interviews
serial drama
TV reception
Publikationstyp
article, peer reviewed scientific
ISBN
978-91-86523-46-6
Språk
eng