T eam A rab : a l‐ J azeera and the flagging of everyday A rabism during the 2008 B eijing O lympics

The linking of living rooms across state borders by a l‐ J azeera and other pan‐ A rab satellite television channels has prompted claims that a ‘new A rabism’ that undermines state nationalism is emerging. Until now, analysts have mostly focused on the ‘hot’ A rabism in the news coverage of politicised events such as the I srael– P alestine conflict. This article offers a new dimension by suggesting that as important to satellite television's construction and reproduction of A rab identity is the everyday discourse found in less overtly political programmes such as sport. To demonstrate this, it offers an analysis of al‐ J azeera's coverage of the 2008 B eijing O lympics showing how the broadcasts address viewers as a common A rab audience who are simultaneously encouraged to be nationalistic towards their separate nation‐states within a given ‘ A rab arena’ of states with whom they should primarily compete. This suggests that new Arabism should in fact be considered a ‘supranationalism’, not a revived Arab nationalism as it simultaneously promotes Arab and state identities in tandem. Finally, it aims to expand our understanding of ‘everyday nationalism’ by adapting M ichael B illig's theory and methodology of ‘banal nationalism’ in B ritish newspapers to facilitate the study of sport on supranational Arab identity on satellite television.