Semiotic Resources and Contextualized Identification; Media Construction of Self and Other in Homeland TV-Series

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University (Corresponding author). vahidi2m@yahoo.com

2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University. mahdizadeh45@yahoo.com

Abstract

September 11, 2001 was an important historical turning point for the United States. On this day, the contentment of the peace among people of the world, which began with the end of the Cold War and the destruction of communism, ended symbolically with the appearance of a new enemy. After that event, we have witnessed a discursive shift in the US mainstream media about the "Other" and the "East". In this article, by referring to the "Bildungsroman" idea and by using analytical tools of social semiotic of images, we will analyze the construction of the "Self" and, in contrast, the Other in US television. In our opinion, television is a suitable place for the production of what social semiotic theorists refer to as "Semiotic Resource". In this article, we have focused on an exceptional sequence from the Homeland television series, and after a thorough review of this sequence, we have found that the Self has found a specific definition in this TV-Series. She is a white woman of European descent (Authentic American). On the other hand, we have a male character with authentic American appearance which has turned into an enemy of the United States and he is planning an attack on US land. We have pointed out that the producers of this TV-Series have emphasized on the danger of apparently Americans who serve the enemies and can threat and attack USA from inside. In our article, we have also examined representational frameworks of post-racial and multicultural identity in this TV-series.

Keywords

References

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