Media, State and Nation: Political Violence and Collective Identities

224 Pages·1991·8.936 MB·English

by  Philip Schlesinger

Political Violence
and Collective Identities
(^)SAGE Publications
In this incisive text on media and collective
identity, Philip Schlesinger develops our
understanding of the contemporary struggles
over political discourse. By combining
analyses of particular political issues and
case studies of media-state relations, the
book demonstrates the complexity of political
communication and its part in the way in
which states construct their enemies, both
internal and external.
Three key themes are presented. In the first
part, the concepts of ‘violence’ and
‘terrorism’ are shown to be fundamentally
rooted in the competing communicative
strategies of the state and of its opponents.
This has significant consequences for state
policies on both media coverage and
censorship of political violence.
The second part considers the external
enemies of both nation-state and ideological
bloc. Professor Schlesinger examines how
Western national identities have been
underpinned by the threat of communism and
terrorism, and the responses this has evoked
in political culture.
The final part addresses the involvement of
media and state with collective identities,
including those which transcend the
boundaries of the state. How should we
analyse the tensions between national and
European identities? What role do the media
play in shaping such conceptions?
Drawing together a series of major essays
into a coherent whole, this book by a
distinguished media scholar will be of wide
interest to lecturers and students in political
science, sociology, and communication and
cultural studies, as well as to all those aware
of the role of the media in contemporary
society.
ISBN 0 8039 8503 7
FA MOUTH CO LEGE OF ARTS
3 8010 00050 0111

MEDIA, STATE AND NATION
The Media, Culture & Society Series
Series editors: John Corner, Nicholas Garnham, Paddy Scanned,
Philip Schlesinger, Colin Sparks, Nancy Wood
The Economics of Television
The UK Case
Richard Collins, Nicholas Garnham and Gareth Locksley
Media, Culture and Society
A Critical Reader
edited by
Richard Collins, James Curran, Nicholas Garnham,
Paddy Scanned, Philip Schlesinger and Colin Sparks
Capitalism and Communication
Global Culture and the Economics
of Information
Nicholas Garnham, edited by Fred Inglis
MEDIA, STATE AND
NATION
Political Violence and
Collective Identities
Philip Schlesinger
SAGE Publications
London • Newbury Park • New Delhi
© in this edition Philip Schlesinger 1991
Chapters 5 and 6 © Philip Schlesinger and Philip Elliott 1979
First published in this edition 1991
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in
writing from the Publishers.
SAGE Publications Ltd
6 Bonhill Street
London EC2A 4PU
SAGE Publications Inc
2455 Teller Road
Newbury Park, California 91320
SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd
32, M-Block Market
Greater Kailash -1
New Delhi 110 048
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data
Schlesinger, Philip
Media, state and nation: Political violence and collective
identities. - (Media, culture and society series)
I. Title II. Series
320
ISBN 0-8039-8503-7
ISBN 0-8039-8504-5 pbk
Library of Congress catalog card number 90-053695
Typeset by The Word Shop, Bury, Lancs
Printed in Great Britain by Billing and Sons Ltd, Worcester
Contents
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
For Sharon