Media Representation Theorists

Question 1

Paul Gilroy

Answer 1

Colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the modern era.

‘Civilisationism’ constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on ‘otherness’

Question 2

Judith Butler

Answer 2

Identity is constructed by the ‘expressions’ of that identity.

There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender.

Gender performance is not a singular act, but a repetition of acts and a ‘ritual’.

Question 3

Bell Hooks

Answer 3

Feminism is a struggle to end patriarchy and ideology of domination.

Feminism is a political commitment, not a lifestyle choice.

Race and class also determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and discriminated against.

Question 4

Liesbet Van Zoonen

Answer 4

Gender is constructed through discourse and this varies according to historical and cultural contexts.

Women’s bodies as ‘objects’ is a core element of western culture.

The media language that constructs men’s bodies is different to that which objectifies women.

Question 5

David Gauntlett

Answer 5

The media provides us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities.

In the past the media conveyed simplistic messages about male and female identities. Now the media offers a more diverse range of representations that we may choose to help us construct our identities.

Question 6

Stuart Hall

Answer 6

Representations of social groups, issues and ideas are constructed using media language (technical and visual codes).

Stereotyping reduces a whole groups of people to a few simple characteristics or traits.

Stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities oh power. Subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’.