A Deconstructive Analysis of Orientalist Representations in the Film United 93

Orientalism, a discipline that focuses on the cultures, languages, histories and religions of Eastern societies, is employed by the Western world to establish its own identity through differentiation from the East. At the same time, Orientalism is used as one of the practices of othering in the media; it can be executed through films, news and various written-visual tools. Following the September 11 attacks, the language used in Western films adopted an Orientalist attitude. The attacks have created great unjust treatment for both the “West” and the “East”; thousands of civilians lost their lives in the USA, and subsequently Muslims and Arabs were marginalised in various ways. A prevailing situation has emerged in which Islamophobia is reproduced in media messages and the Western perspective towards Islam has become globally negative. The film United 93, released five years after the attacks, is considered an example full of various meanings in terms of analysing Orientalist elements. The aim of the study is to deconstruct the film in line with the orientalist discourse, in the context of economic-political, literal meaning and subtexts. Deconstructive analysis/reading, one of the processes of addressing practices of othering in the media, can reveal what has been said and what has not been said by going from the whole to the parts and making sense of each part in its own context. Thus, in the study, it is discussed why and how the Orientalist elements in the film are reflected. As a result, emphasizing the religious and violent aspects of the Eastern characters in the film United 93 becomes a successful example of how Orientalism has been served in the media. The “civilising” mission developed against the “other” of the Orientalist discourse also manifests itself in the film United 93; Muslims are portrayed as aggressive and uncivilised. The film particularly incorporates the inhumane aspects of its characters and these are revealed through deconstruction. Within this context, the significance of deconstructive reading becomes evident as it serves to dismantle the prevailing stereotypes surrounding cinema and media.