Delineating boundariesbetween 'us' and 'them': A reception study of the representation of Muslim characters in the television serial 24

This thesis presents an examination of the US television serial 24’s representation of Muslim characters, and it explores to what extent the perception of these characters can be determined by the cultural and ethnic belonging of the audience. The present thesis shows how 24 participated in forming an arena in which representations, mental images, social relations, and boundaries between ingroup members and outgroup members are constructed and negotiated. The main reason for choosing to study 24 exclusively is that after 9/11 the serial played a central role in the public debate about whether Muslims are being stereotyped in US television entertainment. Hence, the thesis examines whether the critics of 24 have a valid point with regards to the show’s portrayal of negative stereotypes. It also assesses to what extent the serial’s effort to introduce Muslim counter-stereotypes proved to be an adequate response to the criticism. A qualitative research approach is used for examining 24 by combining textual and audience reception analysis. Close readings of selected episodes of the TV serial is carried out, and the crux of the analysis centres on whether, and if so in what respects the representation of the characters are stereotypical/counter-stereotypical. Moreover, it is examined how different interpretive communities of young adults, mainly from Norway, but also from the United States, read and perceive the portrayal of Muslim characters in the same television texts. In the thesis, the analysis of 24 is presented in the form of four scholarly articles. Each article emphasizes different dimensions of the stereotype or counter-stereotype, each draws on different theoretical perspectives, and each can be related to different debates in media studies. The use of the stereotype and the counter-stereotype as analytical tools is pivotal for shedding light on the struggle over meanings of specific representational modes. The thesis aims to contribute to making research on these concepts more relevant for media studies by offering demonstrations of how they can be applied in the investigation of media texts