9/11 consciousness: a discourse analysis in Malaysian newspapers

• Main Author: Mohd Muzhafar Idrus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia 2016
• Subjects: Malaysian newspapers; September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001
• Online Access: http://ddms.usim.edu.my:80/jspui/handle/123456789/12829

Our consciousness is somewhat shaped by our surroundings. External and internal consciousness can guide, explain, direct, and train us to form our socio-cultural belief systems. These socio-cultural belief systems may partly explain why we do what we do, why we see what we see, why we say what we say, and why we feel what we feel. Our consciousness, to a large extent, shapes and energizes our understanding of human beings’ complex relations. As such, 9/11 strife-torn unrests, for example, leaves behind unnecessary complications, chaos, and risks, not only to many Americans, but also to other Islamic nation-states. These sporadic and unpredictable 9/11 complexities are not only discussed, debated, and negated, but has also contributed to our awareness on what it means to live in the post-9/11 era. While many of these explorations are affirmed, regarded, and profound in many Western nation-states, studies on 9/11 consciousness from Asian perspectives, particularly from the viewpoints of Muslim-dominated nations are, to this end, largely insufficient. Taking these contours into consideration, this paper attempts to discuss the extent to which 9/11 consciousness are highlighted in newspapers. Specifically, using spectrum of consciousness theory, this paper explores some of the many ways consciousness of 9/11 tensions is framed in five Malaysian newspapers. We will show the ways in which newspapers describe 9/11 contexts and how diverse layers of consciousness are delineated in the newspaper, forming some levels of questions, contests, and negotiations about 9/11 chaos. The discourse analysis included in this study will demonstrate different fragments of 9/11 reality. By describing these constructions of 9/11 in newspapers framed within spectrum of consciousness, we will be able to reveal the dynamics of these unsettled, unruly 9/11 complications.