represention theories

Question 1

stuart hall

Answer 1

The idea that representation is the production of meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs.
The idea that the relationship between concepts and signs is governed by codes.
The idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits
The idea that stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ (e.g. through ethnocentrism).
In a nutshell: - Media language is used to create representations. Stereotyping is often used to assert power.

Question 2

David Gauntlett Theories of Identity

Answer 2

> The idea that the media provide us with ‘tools
‘or resources that we use to construct our identities.
The idea that 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.

In a nutshell: - We use the Internet and
other media texts to help us to create our
identity. We now have more of a variety of
representations to identify with.

Question 3

Liesbet van Zoonen Feminist Theory

Answer 3

Gender is constructed through discourse its meanings varies according to cultural and historical context
They display women’s bodies as objects to be looked at
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

Question 4

bell hooks Feminist Theory

Answer 4

Representation theory
Feminism is a struggle to end sexist patriarchal oppression and ideology of domination
Feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice
Race and class as well as sex determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed

Question 5

Judith Butler Gender Performativity

Answer 5

> The idea that identity is performatively constructed by
the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results (it is
manufactured through a set of acts).
The idea that there is no gender identity behind the
expressions of gender.
The idea that performativity is not a singular act, but a
repetition and a ritual.

In a nutshell: - Gender is a social construct -
‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ are created
through repetition.

Question 6

Paul Gilroy Ethnicity & Postcolonialism

Answer 6

The idea that colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the post colonial era
Civilisation constructs racial hierarchy and sets up binary oppositions based on nations of otherness
Even though we don’t have colonies, the representation of these groups is still affected by that time
Britain’s struggling from post colonialism melancholy