Representation Flashcards
1
Q
Representation - Hall
A
- The idea that representation is the production of meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs
- The relationship between concepts and signs is governed by codes
- Stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to have a few simple characteristics or traits
- Stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’
2
Q
Theories of identity - Gauntlett
A
- The media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities
- Whilst in the past the media tended to convey singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities, the media today offer us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas
3
Q
Feminist theory - Van Zoonen
A
- Gender is constructed though discourse and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context
- The display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture
- The idea that in mainstream culture the visual and narrative codes that are used to construct the male body as spectacle differ from those used to objectify the female body
4
Q
Feminist theory - hooks
A
- Feminism is a struggle to end sexist/ patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination
- The idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice
- Race, class and sex determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed
5
Q
Gender performativity - Butler
A
- Identity is performatively constructed by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results
- There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender
- Performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition of a ritual
6
Q
Post-colonial theory - Gilroy
A
- The colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era
- The idea that civilisation constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness
