Citizenship and global broadcasting: constructing national, transnational and post-national identities

In a globalized world it is critical to understand the role of media in the fostering of social identities. Traditionally nations have tightly controlled information flows through media regulation, ownership laws, broadcast licensing and similar legal structures. National and public broadcasting have explicitly played a role in promulgating national identities, and encouraging both civic participation and civic loyalty amongst a national audience. Yet in an era of globalisation the place of national borders in controlling the movements of information and bodies has changed irrevocably. Alevi Turks in Melbourne, Australia provide a unique insight into the way in which consumption of media content from a variety of sources, whether national, trans-national or even post-national, influence social identity and belonging in the democratic state.