Date of Award
8-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Communication
Committee Chair
Dr. David R. Davies
Committee Chair School
Communication
Committee Member 2
Dr. Lindsey Conlin Maxwell
Committee Member 2 School
Communication
Committee Member 3
Dr. Edgar Simpson
Committee Member 3 School
Communication
Committee Member 4
Dr. Fei Xue
Committee Member 4 School
Communication
Committee Member 5
Dr. Cheryl D. Jenkins
Committee Member 5 School
Communication
Abstract
This paper focused on public relations to challenge stereotypes about Saudi women. Saudi Arabian women have been portrayed as oppressed and voiceless, traditionally, due to the difference in culture between the West and the Middle East. However, recent changes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's sociocultural have brought new opportunities in education, work, and leadership for women. It examines the representation of such changes in different media in the United States through three crucial case studies: women driving, women's empowerment programs, and women's involvement in sports (Stancati & Abdulaziz, 2018). This paper works within the framework of framing theory. It discusses how differentially constituted power relations between the government's public relations campaigns and the activism sponsored by women's rights movements impact the construction of media framing regarding Saudi women. Details about this changing representation, based on copious qualitative evidence drawn from many sources, such as media coverage, official governmental documents, and activists' statements, will be presented in this research.
These studies provide evidence from the government and activist public relations. This has been conflictual due to international campaigns that have garnered greater diversity and sensitivity in the coverage of Saudi women. It has always seen counter-campaigns being rolled out by the government, highlighting matters of advancement in women's rights or tending to shift weight onto women's empowerment and rights. According to Wiley (2018), the media narration is, therefore, orchestrated. Although these efforts can be observed in the media, Saudi cultural and theological intricacies are being oversimplified by the United States media, but recent years have seen more balanced depictions. This dissertation identifies the point of commonality between public relations and press practice by expounding on the role and function of strategic communication in resisting stereotypes and misconceptions. It argues that more public relations are needed to put the international media in contact with a realistic and genuine vision of Saudi women.
Copyright
2024, Rasha Alsaidalani
Recommended Citation
alsaidalani, rasha, "A Case Study of the Role of Public Relations in Contradicting Stereotypes of Saudi Women in the United States' Media" (2024). Dissertations. 2283.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2283