The digital has emerged as a driving force of change that is reshaping everyday life and affecting nearly every sphere of vital activity. Yet, its impact has been far from uniform. The multifaceted implications of these ongoing shifts differ markedly across the world, demanding a nuanced understanding of specific manifestations and local experiences of the digital. In The Digital Double Bind, Mohamed Zayani and Joe F. Khalil explore how the Middle East's digital turn intersects with complex political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics. Drawing on local research and rich case studies, they show how the same forces that brought promises of change through digital transformation have also engendered tensions and contradictions. The authors contend that the ensuing disjunctures have ensnared the region in a double bind, which represents the salient feature of an unfolding digital turn. The same conditions that drive the state, market, and public immersion in the digital also inhibit the region's drive to change. The Digital Double Bind reconsiders the question of technology and change, moving beyond binary formulations and familiar trajectories of the network society. It offers a path-breaking analysis of change and stasis in the Middle East and provides a roadmap for a critical engagement with digitality in the Global South.

An invaluable resource for those seeking to understand the past, present and future of media and cultural resources in the Middle East. The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East is designed to help readers navigate the important questions of the region and better understand the global cultural and media transformations that shape the debates and challenges of the twenty-first century. Bringing together contributions by a trans-regional panel of established experts and new voices, this interdisciplinary volume offers a fresh perspective on the cultures of the Middle East and their media production, distribution, and consumption. Rather than viewing the Middle East as a monolithic culture operating within a limited media framework, the book examines the multi-local characteristics of knowledge production, media, and culture in the region. Particular emphasis is placed on the necessity for moving away from universalism in favor of theoretically- and historically-grounded integrated analysis. Throughout the text, the authors address the central questions of media and culture in the Middle East while contextualizing the region’s competing histories, geopolitical and socio-economic issues, and ongoing cultural and media debates. Describes the intellectual landscape of the field, including its historic emergence and evolution, key theoretical approaches and empirical research, and possible future directions Presents rich analyses anchored in contemporary research and broad historical and geopolitical contexts Focuses on the symbiotic and dynamic relationship between old and emerging media Offers case studies in cultural production and mainstream and alternative media. Discusses the role of empire and its consequences for communication, culture and politics Engages with culture as a dynamic site of struggle and contestation Part of the acclaimed Blackwell Global Handbooks in Media and Communication Research series, The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East is essential reading for academics and researchers in the field and an excellent textbook for students of global studies, media and communication, journalism, anthropology, sociology, economics, political science, and history.

In this revealing new study, Tarik Sabry and Joe Khalil preside over an original new exploration of Arab culture. They employ subjects as varied as anthropology, media studies, philosophy, political economy and cultural studies to illuminate the relationship between culture, time and publics in an Arab context, whilst also laying the foundations for a much more nuanced picture of Arab society. The diverse themes and locations explored include communities at borders, in rural and urban locations, Syrian drama audiences, Egyptian, Saudi and Tunisian artists and activists and historical and contemporary Arab intellectuals. This fresh empirical research and interdisciplinary analysis illuminate intricate experiences that transcend local, national and religious boundaries and expose how Arab publics combine the media and technology to create a rich experience that shapes their collective imagination and social structure. Providing a grounded orientation to key debates on time and what can be defined as public in modern Arab cultures, Sabry and Khalil address teachers, students and those concerned about the delicate structures that underpin the upheavals of the modern Arab world.

The Media Globe is a multifaceted look at contemporary trends in media practices in regions beyond the United States, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Australia. A diverse group of respected scholars follows the emerging patterns in a variety of media worldwide, identifying the existing and developing issues and the potential impacts on democratic communication. They also assess the current tensions between ongoing global media practices and local or regional cultural norms. Using theoretical approaches such as 'glocalization,' hybridity, hegemony, cultural imperialism, and world-systems theory, the authors consider alternative scenarios for global communication that could better mesh with these cultural norms and practices. Given the rapid global consolidation of media and the resulting reform of its regulatory agencies, this reassessment is a timely and important read.

The Media Globe is a multifaceted look at contemporary trends in media practices in regions beyond the United States, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Australia. A diverse group of respected scholars follows the emerging patterns in a variety of media worldwide, identifying the existing and developing issues and the potential impacts on democratic communication. They also assess the current tensions between ongoing global media practices and local or regional cultural norms. Using theoretical approaches such as "glocalization," hybridity, hegemony, cultural imperialism, and world-systems theory, the authors consider alternative scenarios for global communication that could better mesh with these cultural norms and practices. Given the rapid global consolidation of media and the resulting reform of its regulatory agencies, this reassessment is a timely and important read.

In this revealing new study, Tarik Sabry and Joe Khalil preside over an original new exploration of Arab culture. They employ subjects as varied as anthropology, media studies, philosophy, political economy and cultural studies to illuminate the relationship between culture, time and publics in an Arab context, whilst also laying the foundations for a much more nuanced picture of Arab society. The diverse themes and locations explored include communities at borders, in rural and urban locations, Syrian drama audiences, Egyptian, Saudi and Tunisian artists and activists and historical and contemporary Arab intellectuals. This fresh empirical research and interdisciplinary analysis illuminate intricate experiences that transcend local, national and religious boundaries and expose how Arab publics combine the media and technology to create a rich experience that shapes their collective imagination and social structure. Providing a grounded orientation to key debates on time and what can be defined as public in modern Arab cultures, Sabry and Khalil address teachers, students and those concerned about the delicate structures that underpin the upheavals of the modern Arab world.