Mass Communication in the Modern Arab World: Ongoing Agents of Change Following the Arab Spring

Mass Communication in the Modern Arab World: Ongoing Agents of Change following the Arab Spring introduces, explains, and explores how unceasing growth of media and communication technologies has acted as an ongoing agent of change in the modern Arab world Each contributed chapter provides evidence of mass communication’s potential to transform society, culture, politics, economies and development in a region where expectations of media and communication are higher than those of the Western world.

Studying these media platforms and communication channels and their relationship to governments and other social and religious institutions reveals how an area of over 400 million people has seen both good and bad of transformations from the global communication wave. Case studies of media formats and practices specific to the region illuminate cultural and political factors that impact the growth of media and allow it to positively contribute to all-encompassing democratization in the region.

List of Contributors: Azza A. Ahmed, Mohammad Ayish, Tayeb Boutbouqatl, Aliaa Dawoud, Khaled S. Gaweesh, Ahmed El Gody, Kamal Hamidou, Fran Hassencahl, Tara Al-Kadi, Kyung Sun Lee, Deanna Loew, Noha Mellor, Hesham Mesbah, Meriem Narimane Noumeur, Saddek Rabah, Abeer Salem, Hend El-Taher, Leonard Ray Teel, Oshane Thorpe, Karin Wilkins, and Inas Abou Youssef

Naila Hamdy is associate dean for the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo. She has authored numerous articles in international journals covering the fields of journalism, global communication, and political engagement. She is a member of the board and a former president of the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE).

Philip Auter is the Hubert Bourgeois Endowed Professor of Communication and graduate coordinator for the department of communication at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Auter has authored over 40 journal articles, book chapters, and other contributions. He has presented at regional, national, and international communication conferences and was the lead author of a USAID Middle East Partnership Initiative grant. Auter is a member of the board of the Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE).