Daily productions of gender: An analysis of footing shifts in news articles relating to Arabs and Arab-Americans

This study examines the representations of Arabs and Arab-Americans within the articles of The New York Times and The Washington Post during pre- and post-9/11 periods. Using a sample of 100 news articles, the study employs inductive textual analysis to examine footing shifts in articles about Arabs and Arab-Americans in the New York Times and Washington Post. The data were analyzed to explore how footing shifts produce knowledge concerning the intersection of race and gender with regards to Arabs and Arab-Americans. A major finding of the analysis was that footing shifts produce gender in ways which produce men's authority on all subjects, whereas footing shifts produce the authority of women, particularly Arab women, to limited realms including the their personal feelings, their families, and their racial/ethnic communities.