Understanding Islam’s coverage requires demystifying the power-knowledge link

Evidence

What has been left unexplored, and what we must try now to broach, is the question underlying the crisis. Why does Iran matter, why does Islam matter, and what sort of knowledge, or coverage, of both do we require? This tripartite question is not an abstract one. It must be seen not only as an integral part of contemporary politics but as a vital part of scholarly pursuits and interpretative activities involving the knowledge of other cultures. But without a demystifying look at the relationship between power and knowledge in this context, we will have dodged the central nub of things. — Edward W. Said, Covering Islam, 300

Categorization

• DEFINE: Said frames the core question of the book: the relationship between power and knowledge in cultural coverage, establishing his analytical lens from here forward.

Related

• Western ideological camps all reduce Islam to a scapegoat (similarity 0.83)
• Academics are neutralized into status symbols by the coverage system (similarity 0.83)
• Every portrayal of Islam is an act of willed interpretation, not a description. (similarity 0.83)
• Media coverage of Islam succeeds through political influence, not accuracy. (similarity 0.83)
• Media Islam images derive from geopolitical experts, not academic scholarship (similarity 0.82)
• Westerners encounter Islam only through pre-framed political and media channels. (similarity 0.82)
• Knowledge of other cultures is judged by the needs of the producing society. (similarity 0.82)
• The reified notion of Islam has hindered rather than helped understanding of Muslim societies (similarity 0.82)
• The Islamic world increasingly learns about itself through Western-produced images (similarity 0.82)
• Islamic doctrine has justified opposite political programs alike (similarity 0.81)
• Media coverage of Islam systematically obscures Western actions against Muslims (similarity 0.80)
• Media coverage reduces Arabs and Muslims to oil suppliers and potential terrorists (similarity 0.80)
• Islamic history resists any single coherent characterization (similarity 0.79)
• Coercive civilizational labels like West and Islam serve immediate political purposes (similarity 0.79)
• Western scholarship on Islam grew from positions of colonial dominance. (similarity 0.79)