Semiotics of the Image of Arab Women in Conflict Hot Spots on the Official UN News Website

Document Type : Original Article

Author

قسم الصحافة والنشر -كلية الإعلام للبنات بالقاهرة _جامعة الأزهر Al -Azhar University

Abstract

 
Semiotics of the Image of Arab Women in Conflict Hot Spots on the Official UN News Website
 Ayat Ahmed Ramadan, Assistant Professor
 Department of Journalism and Publishing , Faculty of Mass Communication for Girls ,Al-Azhar University , Cairo, Egypt.
Email: Ayat.ahmed78@azhar.edu.eg
      Abstract:
This study aims to explore how the UN news website addresses issues related to Arab women in conflict zones through published images. Given that addressing women's issues and solving their problems is one of the organization's primary objectives, the study uses a semiotic analysis of journalistic images accompanying news reports related to Arab women's issues. It aims to identify their themes, objectives, interpretations, general descriptions, and iconic and implicit messages.This descriptive study employs qualitative methods, using semiotic analysis to examine 20 images depicting Arab women in conflict areas, specifically in Sudan and Gaza—identified as the most prominently featured regions on the website over 18 months, in which the research takes place. The study concludes that the themes represented in the images selected by the news site focus on the dire conditions faced by women in Sudan and Gaza; poverty and deprivation of basic life essentials such as food, water, clothing, and medicine; the environment's impoverishment and resource scarcity alongside inadequate support structures. To raise support and funding, the organization draws attention to the women’s plight in Sudan and Palestine. It emphasizes the need for empowerment and inclusion of women in all humanitarian coordination structures.Portraying the (semi-stable) living conditions within tents or small workshops funded by the organization, appears insufficient and unsustainable due to ongoing violence in Gaza perpetrated by Israel and crimes committed by Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.Through selective imagery, the site presents a normalized view of women's experiences in these areas marked by destruction, loss, and persistent need. This portrayal suggests that such conditions have become routine for women, particularly in Palestine, leading to an impression among viewers that they have accepted their situation and appreciate the limited efforts made by international organizations to improve conditions.
 

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  • Receive Date: 14 August 2024
  • Accept Date: 01 September 2024

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