“I Found Myself Shouting at the TV Screen”: Media representations and the emotional wellbeing of Muslim women in Britain

Bouchama, Radja 2025. “I Found Myself Shouting at the TV Screen”: Media representations and the emotional wellbeing of Muslim women in Britain. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

For many Muslim women in Britain, media representation is not just about visibility; it is about misrepresentation, exclusion, and the emotional toll of being persistently framed through an Orientalist and Islamophobic lens. This thesis investigates how such portrayals shape the emotional wellbeing, identity, and agency of Muslim women, particularly those who wear visible markers of their faith. Whether depicted as oppressed victims in need of saving or as threats to societal cohesion, these reductive narratives, which intensified in the post-9/11 era, reinforce systemic biases, contribute to discrimination, and fuel social marginalisation. Informed by concepts from the Social Identity Approach and Intergroup Emotions Theory, this study employed a qualitative methodological framework, incorporating dialogical and photo-elicitation interviews with 28 participants to explore the lived experiences of Muslim women in Britain. By centring emotions as a key analytical lens, the research reveals how media portrayals elicit anger, frustration, fear, and self-censorship, shaping self-perception, social interactions, and broader engagement with media and society. These emotional responses emphasise the profound impact of persistent misrepresentation. Despite these challenges, Muslim women actively resist and negotiate their representation through various coping strategies, including social creativity, identity consolidation, and self-representation. Some challenge dominant narratives through activism and media participation, while others reinforce their religious and cultural identities as acts of resilience and empowerment. These strategies illustrate how Muslim women navigate and counteract media bias, asserting agency in a space that often marginalises them. By providing an in-depth analysis of the intersection between media, identity, and emotions, this study contributes to broader discussions on Islamophobia, gendered discrimination, and representation. The findings highlight the urgent need for more inclusive, accurate, and nuanced portrayals of Muslim women in media, advocating for greater diversity in representation to foster understanding, dismantle systemic biases, and promote social cohesion.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 August 2025
Last Modified:	01 Aug 2025 10:59
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180182

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