Muslim Media Use, the Production of Islamic Gender Norms, and Media Stars in Ghana
Keywords:
media, mediation, mediatisation, Ghana, Muslims, Islam, media voice, stars, genderAbstract
This article speaks to two issues on media personalities. I call media voices with reference to the production of Islamic norms about gender on the one hand and the emergence of media stars/celebrities on the other. This is in connection with their mediation on issues at both the community level as well as on the national level, either on behalf of Islam or Muslims in Ghana. The data is drawn from audio and visual media platforms as well as alternative media, including social media handles and online media platforms. The analysis is based on what is termed discourse analysis in media studies. It argues concerning Islamic norms on gender that the discourses are linked to the idea of mapping or ordering gendered practices on the one hand. On the other hand, the use of media-by-media voices has resulted in the production of media stars/celebrities. In the end, the article will present the idea that gendered norms are contested by the values of the broader society regarding the ways in which Muslim consumers contest or mediatise the discourses of media voices as well as raising some questions about how Muslim media stars contribute to ideas of Islamic diversity and the framing of authority.
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