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Examining the Danish cartoon affair: mediatized cross-cultural tensions?

University of Southern California, USA, spowers{at}usc.edu

Examined in the context of the rise of media influence in international conflict, the Danish cartoon affair offers troubling evidence against the hope that changes in the global mediascape will provide productive space and means for reconciliation of international and intercultural tensions. This study outlines several ways in which the mainstream Western media constructed, performed, narrativized, and framed the Danish cartoon affair to specifically appeal to culturally problematic assumptions about Muslim society and culture. Drawing from concepts such as the `mediatized public crisis' and `strategic framing', this study found that Western mainstream media outlets drew heavily on Samuel Huntington's `clash of civilizations' narrative, increasing public fear of Islamic culture, obscuring public understandings of the geopolitical and cultural realities underlying the affair, and further entrenching assumptions that have become barriers to productive cross-cultural dialogue.

Key Words: clash of civilizations • cross-cultural dialogue • Danish cartoon affair • media rituals • mediatized public crisis • strategic framing

Media, War & Conflict, Vol. 1, No. 3, 339-359 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1750635208097050


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