Download or read book Depictions of Muslims in Post-9/11 American Film written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study is to analyze the depictions of those perceived to be Muslim or Arab in post-9/11 American film. The research is conducted through a content analysis of twenty-four films spanning the time frame from 2001 to 2012. The content analysis of these films is based on grounded theory, an approach to analyzing data which first examines and codes the data before conceptualizing or hypothesizing about it. Research found that there is a prevalence of negative stereotypes within the US film industry post-9/11. The two most common of these negative stereotypes are portraying Muslims as terrorists and portraying them as powerful sheikhs who inspire fear from Americans. These two stereotypes are analyzed through the lens of Zimbardo's hostile imagination: the psychological developing of the other as the enemy. This theory claims that stereotypes are the first step towards the hostile imagination, a process which closely follows with moral disengagement and dehumanization. Both of these processes are analyzed in relation to the film data. Positive depictions found within these films include portrayals which humanize Muslims; these include Muslims as family-oriented, as peacefully devout, and as allies of the United States. In regards to these positive depictions the theory of Nussbaum is discussed in how films can transition from cultivating a politics of disgust to cultivating a politics of humanity. Based upon the findings of this research, a high correlation between genre and whether the film stereotyped or positively depicted Muslims and Arabs is concluded. Furthermore, the cultivation of the hostile imagination is found to overpower the cultivation of politics of humanity.