Episode 15: Flying While Muslim - a podcast by The Theory Doctors

This is Episode 15 of the State of the Theory Podcast.

Politics. Power. Popular Culture. And other stuff, probably.

In this series, we’re like super nerdy philosophical DJs: mashing up Serious Academic Questions with the most topical news and trends in pop culture. Each week, we’ll tackle a new topic and collide it with ‘critical theory’ (we’re pretty loose with our definitions, though, so expect the unexpected). Our aim is to destroy the stuff we know, explore the stuff we don’t and unsettle everything we think we know about the world. We take the obvious, the commonsensical, the certain, and then we rip it all to shreds. We are your theory doctors and we are always on call.

In this episode, we look at recent news events about Muslim passengers being forced to get off planes out of concerns for security. We use these stories to think through the relationship between Islamophobia and securitisation. How does 9/11 change the way we view Muslims, and air-travel? What interests does the State have in creating and perpetuating myths about Muslims and terror?

The texts we refer to are:

"Security, Territory, Population" by Michel Foucault (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Security-Territory-Population-Michel-Foucault/dp/1403986533)

"Manufacturing Consent: : The Political Economy of the Mass Media" by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manufacturing-Consent-Political-Economy-Media/dp/0099533111)

"Sister Outside" by Audre Lorde (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sister-Outsider-Speeches-Crossing-Feminist/dp/1580911862)

You can read the story from "The Hummus" here: http://www.thehummusnews.com/post74288145510muslim-on-airplane-fails-to-smile-wide-enough-pilot/

You can read the story from the "National Profiler" here: http://www.nationalprofiler.com/southwest-offers-arabic-select/

You can read about MIA and Black Lives Matter here: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/21/mia-black-lives-matter-comments-beyonce-refugees-criticism

Our theme music is "The Face of God" by The Agrarians (freemusicarchive.org/music/The_Agra…he_Face_of_God)

State of the Theory is brought to you by Hannah Fitzpatrick (@drhfitz) and Anindya Raychaudhuri (@DrAnindyaR)

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