Representation Theorists Flashcards
Describe gauntlett’s identity theory
Media provides us with ‘tools’ and resources that we use to shape our identities.
In the past, these media toolboxes were simple; as the mediated world has become more complicated, we now have a wide range of media models — a pick-and-mix of different ideas that we can choose from.
Describe halls representation theory
Representation is the production of meaning through language (a system of signs).
Stereotyping reduces people and things to a few simple characteristics or traits.
Stereotyping tends to occur where there is disparity of power, with subordinated/excluded groups being different or “other”.
Describe gilroys post colonial theory
Colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity.
“Civilisationism” constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of “other”ness.
Describe van zoonens feminist theory
Gender, as a product of discourse, changes depending on cultural and historical context.
The objectification of women’s bodies is core to Western patriarchal culture.
The codes used in mainstream media to construct the male body are different from the mediated/objectified female body.
Describe bell hooks feminist theory
Feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice.
The intersection of race and class (as well as sex) determine the extent to which individuals are exploited or oppressed.
