In her paper, "Reading South African Media Representations of Islam after 11 September 2001," Gabeba Baderoon probes the resonances of news representations of 11 September 2001. Baderoon examines the events of that day from the perspective of South Africa, arguing that the international media became located and embodied through the representations of the highly visible and grievable deaths of just under three thousand people in the United States. Her analysis reveals a complex view that derives from the legacy of legislated racial discrimination crafted under the policy of Apartheid as well as the presence of Muslims brought as slaves during the country's earliest colonial history. Following Judith Butler's analysis of the 2001 war in Afghanistan, the paper argues that a death recognized as worthy of mourning signals a border of the human. A grievable death acknowledges the humanity of the person who has died. During Apartheid, one indication of the denial of Black people's humanity was the lack of grievability accorded in death.
"Reading South African Media Representations of Islam after 11 September 2001."
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
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