Mass medicated knowledge and possibilities for political participation : reading Chomsky, Baudrillard and the Gulf War
Date
2003
Authors
Pell, Susan Martha Louise
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Abstract
This thesis addresses the problem of communication and the possibilities for political participation. More specifically, it looks at the effects of the knowledge made available by and through the mass media, that is mediated knowledge, on the political, both as a concept and as a practice. To elucidate this problem, the theorists Noam Chomsky and Jean Baudrillard are turned to for their contrasting perspectives and interpretations. Their parallel critiques of the 1991 Persian Gulf War exemplify their description of mediated knowledge and the construction of the political, as well as illuminating the propaganda model and simulation, their respective analytical frameworks. Following this is a comparison of Chomsky and Baudrillard that questions them in terms of epistemology, ontology and political subjectivity and agency. The conclusion is a synthesis of their analyses that suggests that considerations of the message and the medium need to inform critiques of the mass media to open possibilities for inclusive political practices.