When: 3:30 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2022

Where: CMU 125

When: 3:30 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2022

Where: CMU 125

Sara Shaban, PhD, will discuss her book, Iranian Feminism and Transnational Ethics in Media Discourse. Using the 2017 Iranian feminist movement as a case, Dr. Shaban will discuss mediated dialogues between US mainstream news media and Iranian activists on social media. These narratives highlight how hierarchies of visibility in both news and social media discourse overshadow transnational feminist politics while reinforcing narratives that promote Islamophobia, xenophobia, and war propaganda. In order to resolve this issue, Dr. Shaban argues for the “need to undermine the underlying hierarchy of news sourcing that determines American news coverage by embracing activist discourse online.”

Tying media coverage to the recent Iranian protest, Dr. Shaban states: “the recent protests in Iran are nothing short of a feminist revolution. “Women, Life, Freedom” is the chant overtaking the streets along with “death to the dictator.” The protests emerged from Iranian women demanding the right to their own bodily autonomy. Current American news coverage has periodically distracted away from the feminist roots of the protests by shifting the focus to the economic circumstances plaguing Iranians, but make no mistake, this is about bodily autonomy.” Moreover, Dr. Shaban emphasizes the presence of the LGBTQ+ community of this movement, but their effort is “not always evident” according to the media.

If you want to learn more about the roles that US mainstream news media played on Iranian activists and hear more about Dr. Shaban’s insight on Iranian Feminism movement, please attend the CJMD Spotlight Event at 3:30 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2020 at the Communication Building(CMU) in room 125.

Sara Shaban is a critical/cultural scholar focused on the intersections between media, women’s social movements, and geopolitics in the Middle East. Shaban’s academic work is rooted within the theoretical frameworks of transnationalism and femonationalism. Her award-winning research is published in the International Journal of Communication and Communication and Critical Cultural Studies. She recently published her first book, Iranian Feminism and Transnational Ethics in Media Discourse.
Prior to life in academia, Shaban worked in U.S. local news as a producer before pursuing freelance journalism in Israel, the West Bank, and Sierra Leone. Shaban is fueled by her passion for social justice, specifically for immigrants and refugees. She was involved in initiatives to improve conditions for incoming refugees during the 2015 crisis and served as a volunteer and board member for the Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Program in St. Louis. Additionally, she served as the communications director for the St. Louis based NGO Project Peanut Butter — an organization committed to the eradication of child malnutrition throughout sub-Saharan Africa.