Representation - Underdog Media Theory Flashcards
Which theories can be applied to the Underdog music video?
- Theory of Representation by Stuart Hall
- Feminist Theory by Liesbet Van Zoonen
- Feminist Theory by bell hook
- Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Theory by Paul Gilroy
Who made the Theory of Representation?
Stuart Hall
Who made the two different Feminist Theories?
Liesbet Van Zoonen and bell hook
Explain Stuart Hall’s Theory of Representation
The process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture through the use of language, signs and images which stand for or represent things.
Application of Theory Of Representation to the Underdog music video
Keys’ music video deliberately avoids stereotypical representations and presenting marginalised groups as ‘others’, leading to a more positive representation.
This is achieved in Underdog through recognisable signs and codes that are decoded by audiences and interpreted to produce a positive reading of the music video.
Explain Van Zoonen’s Feminist Theory
Femininity is a construction that has evolved and transformed massively throughout the media over several decades and now offers more positive constructions in the media.
Consider how Keys has positioned the audience to engage with positive representations of femininity.
Key’s agenda is clearly centered around her own concerns and experiences, stemming from her multicultural background.
Therefore, the representations address her awareness of these issues:
“She’s riding in a taxi back to the kitchen. Talking to the driver ‘bout his wife and his children
On the run from a country where they put you in prison
For being a woman and speaking your mind.”
Explain bell hook’s Feminist Theory
Women of colour must learn to confront their interests of white supremacists’ beliefs and learn about their culture, to share knowledge and skills and to gain strength from diversity.
To what extent does this music video challenge stereotypical representations of ethnicity and gender?
Keys presents herself as an activist demonstrating feminism as a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice.
She attempts to challenge the under and misrepresentation of social groups (race/ethnicity and gender) in this video.
Explain Paul Gilroy’s Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Theory
The idea that colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the post colonial era.
It is also the idea that society constructs racier hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness.
What is Post Colonialism?
The critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact (consequences) of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands.
Consider how Keys challenges the under-representation and misrepresentation of minority ethnic groups.
The narrative is embedded with positive messages and values and depicts a successful music artist who has overcome adversity and subverting negative stereotypes of ethnicity.
Keys used this music video to reinforce similarities rather than cultural differences in the creation of a common purpose to be successful and defy the odds.
The representation of ethnic groups as victims and the notion of ‘otherness’ is avoided and replaced with more positive representations.
