Abstract
Since 1985, there have been more than 221 recorded suicide attacks across the globe conducted by female suicide bombers (Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism [CPOST] 2016). On the whole, whether known as "¡stish-hadiyat", "suicide terrorists", "martyrs", "black tigresses" or "black widows", females who detonate an explosive device on their person within a densely populated area, at a military checkpoint or outside of a government building, continue to fascinate and frighten the media, academics and the general public. Mia Bloom, a leading academic who examines female suicide bombers and terrorists, explains that female terrorists receive eight-times more media attention than their male counterparts, with much focus being on asking the question: 'What could make such a pretty girl do that? There must be something wrong' (Bloom 2011, p. 128).With respect to this thesis, Bloom's statement highlights what myself and others would consider to be a fixation, particularly by West populations, on how women could become involved in acts of suicide bombings or terrorism in general (Cunningham 2007; Gardner 2007; Speckhard 2008). To explore that fascination in more detail, this thesis critically examines the representations of female suicide bombers in news media. It seeks to analyse how Palestinian female suicide bombers are portrayed in the largely unexplored medium of broadcast news; specifically, the thesis examines media representations in Western news outlets.
The digital file of this thesis is permanently embargoed due to copyright restrictions. A print copy can be consulted in the McClay Library.
| Date of Award | Dec 2019 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Sponsors | Northern Ireland Department for the Economy |
| Supervisor | Debbie Lisle (Supervisor) |
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