Media Stereotypes of Asian Religions: Islam and Buddhism
Representations of religion tend to be stereotyped and truncated, and thus tend to distort and cloud our understanding of the role that religion and religious organizations are playing in Asia. Islam is thought “dangerous,” Confucianism “authoritarian,” Buddhism “pacifist.” Beneath these stereotypes, however, are real questions of religious nationalism, communist oppression of religious groups, and the separation of religion and government.
Reading examples:
- Said, Edward W. 1985. “Orientalism Reconsidered.” Cultural Critique 1 : 89-107.
- Said, Edward W. 1997. Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the World. Vintage Books, 1997.
- Said, Edward W. 2001. “Islam and the West are Inadequate Banners.” The Observer 16.
- Tweed, Thomas A. 2008. “Why are Buddhists so Nice? Media Representations of Buddhism and Islam in the United States Since 1945.” Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief 4.1: 91–93.
- Mercille, Julien. 2005. “Media Effects on Image: The Case of Tibet.” Annals of Tourism Research 32.4: 1039–1055.
- Elliott, Deni. 2003. Moral Responsibilities and the Power of Pictures. In Images that Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media, ed. Paul Martin Lester and Susan Dente Ross, 7-14. Greenwood Publishing Group. **Google Books Link**
- Daniel L. Overmyer, ed. 2003. Religion in China Today. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Dillon, Michael. 2004. Xinjiang: China’s Muslim Far Northwest. Routledge.
- Palmer-Fernández, Gabriel, ed. 2004. The Encyclopedia of Religion and War. Taylor & Francis.
- Rudelson, Justin Jon. 1997. Oasis Identities: Uyghur Nationalism along China’s Silk Road. Columbia University Press.
- Schwartz, Ronald D. 1994. Circle of Protest: Political Ritual in the Tibetan Uprising. New York: Columbia University Press.
Case examples and media coverage:
- Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan, summer 2009. “China warns Taiwan again over Dalai Lama visit” RFI. August 31, 2009.
- Pre-Olympic protests in Xizang, March 2008.
- Uyghur protests in Xinjiang, 2009.
“China warns Taiwan again over Dalai Lama visit” RFI. August 31, 2009.
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