Bias in Popular Culture: The Power of Visual and Linguistic Narratives (by Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali)

Abstract

Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali persuasively argues in his book Bias in Popular Culture: The Power of Visual and Linguistic Narratives, that popular culture has the power to fuel antisemitism and Islamophobia as well as to cultivate humility and understanding. Al-Shaikh-Ali describes the many forms popular culture may take, from fiction, films, TV, essays, tales, poems, and travelogues to cartoons. Popular culture is a mechanism through which the meaning of current events and the retelling of history depend upon the lens applied. He demonstrates how paintings, sketches, illustrations, or artwork can be added to narratives to shape the imagination and evoke particular senses. While skewed or false narratives around groups of people are usually associated with news media, Al-Shaikh-Ali draws attention to the powerful role popular culture plays because it is usually thought of as harmless or neutral. It is both consumed and dismissed as entertainment.