A case study in civic fiction: A Gay Girl in Damascus and the structuring of cosmopolitan sympathy

Abstract

This article introduces the concept of “civic fiction” via an analysis of the 2011 Gay Girl in Damascus hoax blog. “Civic fiction” is here defined as the creation of sustained, complex counterfactuals enabling individuals to partake in civic dialogue. This is separate from more quotidian examples of lying in public life, and is also distinct from misinformation and “fake news.” Via an examination of the Gay Girl blog and the ways the Amina persona was featured by the international press corps, this article considers the implications of civic fiction for journalism and empathetic engagement. I propose that Amina’s role as a “mirror figure” within Western media, ostensibly providing insights into the Syrian uprising from an insider’s perspective but in fact reflecting the concerns and values of a Western audience from within that audience, raises questions about modern journalistic practices and attempts to foster communitarian sympathy across cultural lines. Drawing on postcolonial and feminist theory, Lilie Chouliaraki’s concepts of ecstatic news events, and John Beverly’s analysis of testimonio, this article illuminates the intricate interplay between constructed identities, media representation, and audience reception. This article presents civic fiction as an alternate framework for understanding certain types of fabrication in public life that makes space for the uncomfortable reality that these types of narratives are often successful, are frequently used to achieve political ends by multiple actors, and implicate both journalists and audiences in their maintenance over time.