Ruling the Waves : Transnational Radio Broadcasting in the Middle East and the Mediterranean between Production and Reception, 1920-1970

For most of the 20th century, radio constituted the most widespread means of communications. Connecting people across the globe, it acted as a means of propaganda, a vehicle of dissidence, and a medium of popular culture all at the same time. Yet, its production, its quintessentially transnational character and especially its reception remain largely unexplored. This conference re-examines the history and experience of transnational radio broadcasting by analyzing its production, its reception and its impact in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions between 1920 and 1970, the period when radio was the central medium for transnational propaganda and for the promotion of popular culture.