For the Critical Perspectives unit during my Master's in Arts and Lifestyle Journalism, I was assigned to write two academic essays. These essays allowed me to delve into two different topics. Despite the fact that both topics had to be closely related to the theory we discussed in class, we were still given some freedom to decide on the topics ourselves. The first semester I spent time focusing on the projection of Middle Eastern women in Western media and its impact on Middle Eastern feminism. The second semester I zoomed in on The Ideas of Art Curation applied to Contemporary Journalism. Find the introductions to both academic essays below, and in case you would like to read the entire study please do not hesitate to contact me.
Middle Eastern women in Western media and its impact on Middle Eastern feminism
The representation of the Middle East in Western media has been a life-long complex case-study that’s been influenced by various events, such as the 9/11-attack. However, the representation of Middle Eastern women within the Western media is an entire debatable matter on itself. Middle Eastern women in the Western media are often represented as outdated stereotypes or relying on obvious prejudices. Considering that the media plays a vital role in connecting Western and Eastern women to each other, this false portrait is not harmless. As Western feminism is much more progressive compared to Middle Eastern feminism, one should push forward the other. Logically, one could question the impact of this outdated media-representation on Middle Eastern feminism. This academic essay will guide you through the projection of Middle Eastern women within the mainstream Western media, the impact of this projection and ultimately Middle Eastern women using social media in order to reformulate this projection. As the author, I wanted to write this academic essay as I am intrigued by the power of the Middle Eastern women I tend to discover once I dig deeper than the superficial reporting.
The Ideas of Art Curation applied to Contemporary Journalism
Today, the act of curation has become so widespread that one can hardly recall what the phenomenon initially implied. Whilst curating used to have a specifically defined meaning in previous centuries, it is used today to refer to various acts of creating, whether or not art-related. Curation has evolved along with its time and became an experimental and multi-faceted term. Not quite simultaneous but however similar, journalism has also grown into a more contemporary and experimental version of itself. While the basic features of journalism may have remained generally constant, there is enormous experimentation with format and content. This essay attempts to examine contemporary journalism through the history of art curation, with a specific emphasis on possible overlaps. The matter is explored through sociological and anthropological facets of the process of composing art, questioning where our 'good taste' derives from and the position of the curator and journalist within the various fields. Finally, the arguments are applied to a contemporary example.