Adel Iskandar
Encyclopedia
Adel Iskandar (born 15 March 1977) is a British
-born Middle East
media scholar, postcolonial theorist, analyst, and academic. He is the author and co-author of several works on Arab media, most prominently an analysis of the Arab satellite station Al Jazeera
. His latest work is an edited collection of essays entitled Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation on the late Palestinian-American intellectual and literary critic.
Born to an Egyptian family of physicians in Edinburgh, Scotland, he grew up in Kuwait
, escaping the Iraqi invasion and the 1991 Persian Gulf War
. At the age of 16, he moved to Canada
where he earned his degree in Social Anthropology
and Biology
from Dalhousie University
in Halifax
, Nova Scotia
. He later earned a masters in Communications from Purdue University Calumet
in Hammond, Indiana
.
He proposes the concept of "contextual objectivity
" as a critique of media's coverage of war. He writes a regular column for Egyptian independent newspaper Almasry Alyoum
, and works at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
media scholar, postcolonial theorist, analyst, and academic. He is the author and co-author of several works on Arab media, most prominently an analysis of the Arab satellite station Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
. His latest work is an edited collection of essays entitled Edward Said: A Legacy of Emancipation and Representation on the late Palestinian-American intellectual and literary critic.
Born to an Egyptian family of physicians in Edinburgh, Scotland, he grew up in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, escaping the Iraqi invasion and the 1991 Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. At the age of 16, he moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where he earned his degree in Social Anthropology
Social anthropology
Social Anthropology is one of the four or five branches of anthropology that studies how contemporary human beings behave in social groups. Practitioners of social anthropology investigate, often through long-term, intensive field studies , the social organization of a particular person: customs,...
and Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
from Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Halifax
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He later earned a masters in Communications from Purdue University Calumet
Purdue University Calumet
Purdue University Calumet is a school within the Purdue University system that is located in Hammond, Indiana in the Northwest Indiana portion of the Chicago metropolitan area.-Schools:Purdue University Calumet is academically organized into six schools:...
in Hammond, Indiana
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
.
He proposes the concept of "contextual objectivity
Contextual objectivity
Contextual objectivity is a principle with roots in quantum mechanics that was adapted and applied to explain and describe the operations of news media organizations during times of war...
" as a critique of media's coverage of war. He writes a regular column for Egyptian independent newspaper Almasry Alyoum
Almasry Alyoum
Al-Masry Al-Youm is an Egyptian privately owned daily newspaper that was first published in June 2004. It is published in Arabic and has a website in both Arabic and English...
, and works at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
.
Works
- Co-author: Al-Jazeera: The Story of the Network that is Rattling Governments and Redefining Modern Journalism (2003), ISBN 0-8133-4149-3