ethnicity in formation

Question 1

the KATRINA strand

Answer 1

SETTING: clear erf to New Orleans+ HURRICANE KATRINA- highlighted INSTITUTIONAL RACISM in US as black communities largely ignored by governmental agencies (most victims were black)
MISE- EN- SCENE: CUL code standing on top of New Orleans police car- connotes defiance+ transgression to directly challenge the agencies
DRESS CODE: SOUTHERN HOUSE DRESS, connotes that she is part of black community+ hasn’t forgotten her roots

Question 2

• other than dress code (southern house dress), what else connotes that Beyonce is still connected to her roots?
• why is she constructing this representation?

Answer 2

• INTERTEXTUALITY- use of footage from BOUNCE music doc B.E.A.T- anchors attachment to New Orleans+ deep south
• to challenge media criticisms of Beyonce that she is disconnected from her culture and community

Question 3

what theory does the KATRIINA STRAND reinforce?

Answer 3

GILROY’S POST- COLONIAL THEORY
by REFLECTING RACIAL HIERARCHIES created by a white supremacist society where COLONIAL IDEOLOGIES of USA’s slavery past still dominate

Question 4

the ANTEBELLUM strand

Answer 4

SETTING: PLANTATION HOUSE (USA’s slavery past)
signifiers of wealth e.g. rich mahogany furniture, paintings- CLEAR SUBVERSION OF GILROY’S RACIAL HIERARCHIES BY PLACING THNIC MINORITY IN POSITION OF POWER
POWER SIGNIFIERS+ ICONOGRAPHY: centrally framed- connotes dominance of black women; DIRECT M.O.A- powerful+ confident; BODY LANGUAGE- confident posture; TECHNICAL codes: slightly LOW ANGLE- connotes dominance
AFRICAN ICONOGRAPHY: braids, afros, jewellery- tribal connotations+ normalising traditional aesthetic
DRESS CODE: white dresses have ARISTOCRATIC connotations (wealth+ luxury)
CHARACTERS: under-rep of white people (SUBVERSIVE REPS as dominated by black characters); surrounded by men in servant attire- connotes influence

Question 5

the ANTEBELLUM ARISTOCRACY strand

Answer 5

SYM code: bird cage- ref to Angelou’s book ‘I know why the caged bird sings’- METAPHOR- alluding to African American’s precarious position in society

Question 6

the MARDI GRAS strand

Answer 6

religious festival, ‘Fat Tuesday’, celebrated before lent
huge festival in DEEP SOUTH- renowned in NEW ORLEANS

Question 7

Beyoncé’s REPRESENTATION

Answer 7

• subverts ‘victim’ rep
• challenging- stereo types role model (weakness+ victimisation- links to intersectionality (hooks))
• cold reinforce Jezebel (revealing dress codes+ PRO codes of dancing- oversexualised

Question 8

what are the three ETHNIC STEREOTYPES?

Answer 8

• the EXOTIC (foreign)
• the VICTIM (e.g. charity adverts)
• the CRIMINAL

Question 9

why do stereotypes exist?

Answer 9

stereotypes reflect INEQUALITIES OF POWER (HALL) in society- those in power construct HIERARCHIES/ reps to KEEP MINORITIES MARGINALISED

Question 10

what are the three BLACK WOMAN STEREOTYPES?

Answer 10

• the JEZEBEL: hyper- sexualised
• the MAMMY: nanny-type character whose sole aim in life is to help a (white) family
• the SAPHIRE: sassy black friend

Question 11

GILROY’S POST- COLONIAL THEORY

Answer 11

colonial discourses continue to influence contemporary attitudes to race+ ethnicity in POST- COLONIAL SOCIETY
CIVILISATIONISM constructs RACIAL HIERARCHIES+ sets up BINARY OPPOSITIONS (Strauss) based on notions of OTHERNESS- so white supremacist patriarchal ideologies remain dominant

Question 12

how does it reinforce BELL HOOKS- INTERSECTIONALITY

Answer 12

black female- powerful rep- SUBVERTS STREOTYPES+ controls how she is represented (NOT OBJECTIFIED)
subverts stereotypes that women are weak

Question 13

when was formation released during?

Answer 13

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Question 14

how Beyonce has embraced black culture

Answer 14

• LYRICS: ‘by daddy Alabama, mamma Louisiana’ ; ‘baby hair and afros *(blue ivy carter embracing natural afro+ direct M.O.A (confidence)
• group of black women as a unit; anchored by REPETITION of ‘FORMATION’- anchors empowerment
• “slay”- embrace language of black community- REPETITION emphasises that she can ‘slay’ white supremacist patriarchal society

Question 15

How can you link in the CIVIL RIGHTS ACT as context?

Answer 15

CUL code New Orleans POLICE CAR- connotes tension- POST CIVIL RIGHTS ACT (1964)
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

Question 16

Reappropration

Answer 16

Reclaiming rights- REAPPROPRIATION of the swimming pools which connotes SEGREGATION

Question 17

Katrina- gate (scandal)

Answer 17

Discriminating aid+ governmental response- highlighting INSTITUTIONAL RACISM as most victims were black
reinforces how GILROY CRITISES POLITICIANS COSMOPOLITANISM as FLAWED and CONTRADICTORY

Question 18

how do representations of black people connote power?

Answer 18

Reps of MAINLY BLACK PEOPLE connotes power+ dominance
Anchored by CONFIDENT CHOREOGRAPHY to rebuttel WHITE SUPREMACY