From Streets to Screens: Al Jazeera and the Challenge of Ideology of Order with Sam Cherribi

About the lecture

While celebrating Al Jazeera's contributions to potential Arab democracies, Cherribi dives deep into its profound impact on Arab perceptions concerning American involvement, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the emergence of global Islamic fundamentalism and the political far right's expansion. Al Jazeera's early vision for "Muslim-democracy" set the stage for an ambitious journey to reshape the Arab mindset, introducing exiled Islamist leaders and providing Muslim feminists a platform, thereby earning a reputation for pluralism and inclusiveness.

From Streets to Screens does not simply celebrate Al Jazeera as a catalyst for positive change but critically examines the darker potential of its redefinition of media as a strategic tool or weapon. Through a nuanced exploration, Cherribi explores Al Jazeera's paradoxes as a source of global influence, uncovering the complex realities of a network where journalism intertwines with martyrdom, and information becomes a battleground.

About the speaker

Sam Cherribi, PhD, from the University of Amsterdam, holds positions as Teaching Professor, and Adjunct Professor at Emory University within the Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies (MESAS) and the Economics Department. In addition to his teaching roles, he directs the Emory Development Initiative (EDI), fostering development efforts in low-income countries and facilitating collaborations with faculty in Emory's Institute of Human Rights. Before his tenure at Emory starting in 2003, Cherribi was a distinguished Member of the Dutch Parliament for eight years (1994-2002), where he notably represented The Netherlands at the Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union. His commitment to language and cultural preservation is evidenced through his involvement with Taalunie, the Union for the Dutch Language. Dr. Cherribi's contributions to scholarship include "Framing Theory Put to the Test of Reflexive Sociology," a reflective chapter in "Bourdieu and the Americas: Origins and Uses of a Scientific International." His notable works, "Fridays of Rage: Al Jazeera, The Arab Spring, and Political Islam" (Oxford University Press, 2017) and "In the House of War: Dutch Islam Observed" (Oxford University Press, 2013), underscore his expertise in media, political Islam, and socio-political dynamics in the Middle East. He is also the editor of the Peter Lang series "Currents in Media, Social, and Religious Movements in the Middle East."

This event is co-sponsored by the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and presented by the Center for African Mediterranean Studies.