Mediated Occidentalism and Muslim Discourse: Al Jazeera's Counter-Narratives to Western Media Hegemony

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of Occidentalism in the twenty-first century by analysing how Al Jazeera, a prominent Muslim-majority media network, constructs counter-narratives that challenge Western media hegemony. While existing scholarship has largely treated Occidentalism as a reactive, elite-driven intellectual discourse, this study demonstrates its transformation into a mass-mediated phenomenon shaped by satellite broadcasting and digital platforms. Employing a qualitative research design that integrates critical discourse analysis and thematic framing, the study examines Al Jazeera's news coverage and social media content across three major event clusters: Western military interventions, Islamophobia in the West, and the Arab Spring uprisings. The findings reveal that Al Jazeera employs systematic framing strategies—foregrounding civilian suffering, prioritising local voices, and critiquing Western moral hypocrisy—that actively construct a mediated Occidentalist discourse. However, these counter-narratives simultaneously risk reinforcing ideological polarisation through echo chambers and selective representation. The study concludes that while alternative media can foster more balanced engagement, strengthening media literacy, responsible journalism, and intercultural dialogue remains essential for reducing ideological divisions. This article contributes to postcolonial media studies by theorising 'mediated Occidentalism' as a distinctive phenomenon of the digital age.