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Monarchy in the Age of Internet: Queen Rania, Media Spectacle, and Politics of Modernity
Abstract
Performance and pageantry have always been part of monarchy and modes of governance. Today they have become part of new media and transnational networks creating new possibilities for monarchal credibility and legitimacy that previously may not have been needed and/or possible. Historically many nation-states have transformed from monarchy to the republic or the presidential systems of governance. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is one of several counties in the world today that has a constitutional monarchy in which the King is considered the head of the state. Unpacking how a nationalist project is achieved through monarchal spectacle within a neoliberal context using digital media is the focus of this presentation. Specifically, I am interested in Queen Rania’s use of Internet-based social media forums such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. in negotiating a modern image of Jordan and reinventing imaginings of Jordan as an open society. Since 2008, Queen Rania has been actively launching interactive and collaborative campaigns on-line calling on Internet users to participate in global conversation by sending her their own video and text responses. This paper addresses how Queen Rania capitalizes on different performative strategies to invoke spectacle in order to legitimatize her position as Queen from the perspective of neoliberals, advocates of democracy, the international community as well as supporters of development and aid agencies. I argue that spectacle is not only essential to the success of Queen Rania’s campaigns but in extension may actually constitute a means through which monarchy guarantees its survival and sovereignty in a 21st century neoliberal world. To garner global and regional support for her humanitarian initiatives, her performances suggest a fusion between two seemingly very desperate ideologies – monarchy and democracy, nationalism and globalism – embodied in the monarchal subject herself. The role of spectacle in this context is one that greatly lacks an explanation within the logics of monarchy, nationalism, neoliberalism and it is therefore, the core focus of this paper.
Discipline
International Relations/Affairs
Geographic Area
Jordan
Sub Area
Identity/Representation