Buffy the vampire slayer: what being Jewish has to do with it

This article examines the whiteness in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The author argues that the show’s overwhelming whiteness is a product of a generalized white anxiety about the numerical loss of white dominance across the United States and, in particular, in California. The article goes on to think through the role that Jewishness plays in the program, discussing the relationship between the apparently Anglo-American Buffy, played by a Jewish actor, and her sidekick, Willow, who is characterized as Jewish but is played by a non-Jewish actor. The evil master in the first series is given Nazi characteristics and the destruction that he wants to inflict carries connotations of the Holocaust. Structurally, Buffy is produced as the Jew who saves the United States from this demonic destruction. In this traumatic renarrativising, the Holocaust comes to stand for the white-experienced crisis of the loss of white supremacy in the United States. With this reading we can begin to understand the show’s popularity among early adult, predominantly white Americans

Australia Day, flags on cars and Australian nationalism

This article reports the results of research into the recent popular phenomenon of flying Australian flags on one’s car for Australia Day. A survey was undertaken in Western Australia in 2011 to ascertain who flies the flag and why. Results indicate the phenomenon was widespread, with a quarter of those surveyed displaying car-flags. A clear relationship between car-flag-flying and exclusionary nationalism is demonstrated. Car-flag-flyers rate more highly on measures of patriotism and nationalism, and feel more negative towards Muslims and asylum seekers, and more positive about the White Australia Policy. They are also significantly more likely to feel their culture and values are in danger, and have a nativist vision of Australian identity. While both groups are positive about Australia’s diversity, car-flag-flyers are more likely to feel that migrants should assimilate. The results support other literature that suggests that in some contexts the Australian flag has come to be associated with exclusionary nationalism

The interplay between nationalism and public diplomacy: Examining nationalist publics’ communicative behaviors during an international dispute

Nationalism is an ideology commonly shared amongst members of a nation who feel that their nation is superior and should dominate others; thus, it could be detrimental to the purpose of public diplomacy to promote mutual understanding between nations. To better understand the interplay between nationalism and public diplomacy, this study examines the causes, expressions, and consequences of nationalism. Using the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) as an analytical framework, a case study is conducted to examine the association between the extent of news coverage and online discussions surrounding a territorial dispute between the Chinese and Japanese Governments. Several findings are made, including that: (a) there is a positive relationship between the amount of news coverage and online discussions surrounding the dispute; (b) nationalist publics interpreted the international dispute as affecting them personally (i.e., displaying international issue personalization effects), and; (c) nationalist publics proposed using collective approaches to cope with the dispute. Implications of the findings for public diplomacy are discussed