Dominant and Muted Group Theory (PC) Flashcards
Where and when did the muted group theory stem from?
From social anthropologist Edwin Ardener in 1970s
What was one thing that Ardener criticised ethnographers of doing?
He argued that they only looked at the men within a society but claimed to have an understanding of the whole population, despite leaving out the perspectives of women, children and other groups.
Who is the main theorist behind the muted group theory?
Cheris Kramarae
What is Kramarae’s belief in the muted group theory?
Communication was created by men and allows them to have an advantage over women. Women must only play with rules of man’s language and never have their own words to express their thoughts and feelings.
What does Kramarae also believe related to men and women in the muted group theory?
She believes that they both are very different and thus will view the world differently from each other.
What has men’s control over language resulted in?
Many derogatory words have been created to describe women such as “slut, whore and easy” as well as “bitching, gossiping and whining”.
Whereas men are only portrayed in a positive/sexual light such as “stud, player and pimp”
An example in how men’s control has shaped language
When a man has multiple sexual partners they can be called words with a positive meaning (stud) whereas if a woman were in the same situation all the words used have negative connotations.
Which of the main concept does Kramarae believe in?
Linguistic determinism. She states that these harmful words shape our reality.
What else do men and women do differently when involved in public speaking?
Women use sports and war analogies in order to relate to their male audiences, allowing them to accomplish their objectives. Whereas men do not need to do this.
What are Kramarae’s beliefs about “gamekeepers”?
Women were locked out of the publishing business until 1970 and so they lacked influence on the media and thus were not represented properly in history.
What are gamekeepers?
Editors who determine what books, films, articles etc are featured within the media
Where else is the muted group theory seen?
The internet
Why is the muted group theory present on the internet?
Men were the main creators of it in the 70s and 80s and many of the words and metaphors used to describe technology are masculine.
What is happening to the muted group on the internet?
The muted group (women) are able to have a bigger voice due to advances of blogs and are able to relate to other women more easily.
Who criticises the theory?
Deborah Tannen
