Stuart Hall: representation and reality
Stuart Hall suggests individuals each have their own conceptual map – effectively what we use to decode and understand media texts.
Building on this, Hall outlines three approaches to understanding the relationship between reality and representations:
Reflective approach: the media simply mirrors (or reflects) the real world. This is a limited approach that minimalises the power or complexity of the media.
Intentional approach: the producer of the text constructs the world as they see it and the audience accepts those values encoded in the text. This is effectively the dominant or preferred reading (reception theory) and leaves no room for the negotiated or oppositional reading.
The constructivist approach: this was Hall’s preferred approach and closely matches reception theory with preferred and oppositional readings. This suggests concepts and signs do have some shared meanings but they are not all inherent and can be interpreted by the audience in a number of ways (dependent on their own ‘conceptual map’).
Paul Gilroy: black diasporic identity
We first explored Paul Gilroy’s theories of black diasporic identity when studying music video.
This is the idea that black identity is informed by diaspora – literally the ‘scattering of people’ across the world. He suggests this creates a “liquidity of culture” that means black identity is formed by journeys across seas, not the solid ground of a home country or culture.
Importantly, Gilroy sees this identity as impossible to reverse – there can be no return to the place of origin as the experience of slavery and displacement can never be “rewound”.
Gilroy: black British identity
The Voice newspaper was formed in 1982 to create a voice for the black British community. Gilroy wrote of the dominant representation of black Britons at that time as “external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation”.
Gilroy suggests diaspora challenges national ideologies and creates “cultural tension”. This tension helps to create the diasporic identity but often comes with negative experiences such as exclusion and marginalisation.
More succinctly, Gilroy sums this up as the white racist’s question to BAME people: “Why don’t you just go home?”
Paul Gilroy and Russell Brand
In 2017, Paul Gilroy took part in Russell Brand’s Under The Skin podcast, exploring ideas and modern culture. Watch the following two extracts and consider how Gilroy’s ideas reflect recent events and media culture.
Extract 1: 17.50 – 25.45
Extract 2: 44.30 – 48.08
Paul Gilroy - blog task
Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:
1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?
He has consistently argued that racial identities are historically constructed – formed by colonisation, slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalism.
2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?
Gilroy is saying that racism isn’t caused by race, racism causes race – racism is not a natural phenomenon. Instead, Gilroy states that racial difference and racial identities are the product of racial oppression. Racial identities are caused by historical conflicts that have brought different groups into opposition.
3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?
Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to ethnic absolutism as it is counter to his argument that racism causes race.
4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?
Gilroy believes that Diasporic Identity is not limited to national contexts but is actually a way of viewing identity as a "movement" - it has come about as a result of people leaving their places of origin, and having no "sense of place" as a result of said movement.
5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?
Gilroy suggests that the dominant ideology at the time was "external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation" - again relating to the concept that Black Britons were often outsiders in society and felt like they didn't belong.
6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?
The negative effects of this are exclusion, being exposed to regressive ideologies and also marginalisation.
7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.
The media acts as a means of communication between those who are apart of the same group or going through the same process of Diasporic Identity. For example, the use of social media networks such as Twitter and blogs as a liminal space for these groups to come together and connect with people who they feel may represent them well.
8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?
He suggests that the impact that slavery had (and is still having) cannot be ignored, and that because of this, there will always be Diaspora. This idea refers to the fact that we cannot return to the time before slavery, as Africa has undergone such profound political changes as a result of the effects of slavery; therefore it is not possible for us to go back to life before it.
9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?
Double consciousness refers to the idea of having two modes of perception - it provides more ways of understanding the world. This idea of double consciousness also refers to the fact that black people often feel as though they are looking at themselves through the eyes of others. This can be applied in the US as black people are often misrepresented or presented in the way that white audiences perceive them to be. For example, presenting them as uncooperative, aggressive and violent individuals - whereas in reality they are nothing like this.
10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.
The trailer for Hidden Figures shows racial and gender stereotypes that were present during this time period. It directly challenges the stereotypical representation of black American women as they are shown to be intelligent and strong individuals who manage to manoeuvre their way through all aspects of life. This contrasts conventional representations of Black American women as they are typically shown as having lower intellect than men,specifically white males. This trailer also challenges the concept of double consciousness as it presents the story line from the perspective of the black women; thus giving them a voice to represent themselves rather than be misrepresented.
Stuart Hall suggests individuals each have their own conceptual map – effectively what we use to decode and understand media texts.
Building on this, Hall outlines three approaches to understanding the relationship between reality and representations:
Reflective approach: the media simply mirrors (or reflects) the real world. This is a limited approach that minimalises the power or complexity of the media.
Intentional approach: the producer of the text constructs the world as they see it and the audience accepts those values encoded in the text. This is effectively the dominant or preferred reading (reception theory) and leaves no room for the negotiated or oppositional reading.
The constructivist approach: this was Hall’s preferred approach and closely matches reception theory with preferred and oppositional readings. This suggests concepts and signs do have some shared meanings but they are not all inherent and can be interpreted by the audience in a number of ways (dependent on their own ‘conceptual map’).
Paul Gilroy: black diasporic identity
We first explored Paul Gilroy’s theories of black diasporic identity when studying music video.
This is the idea that black identity is informed by diaspora – literally the ‘scattering of people’ across the world. He suggests this creates a “liquidity of culture” that means black identity is formed by journeys across seas, not the solid ground of a home country or culture.
Importantly, Gilroy sees this identity as impossible to reverse – there can be no return to the place of origin as the experience of slavery and displacement can never be “rewound”.
Gilroy: black British identity
The Voice newspaper was formed in 1982 to create a voice for the black British community. Gilroy wrote of the dominant representation of black Britons at that time as “external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation”.
Gilroy suggests diaspora challenges national ideologies and creates “cultural tension”. This tension helps to create the diasporic identity but often comes with negative experiences such as exclusion and marginalisation.
More succinctly, Gilroy sums this up as the white racist’s question to BAME people: “Why don’t you just go home?”
Paul Gilroy and Russell Brand
In 2017, Paul Gilroy took part in Russell Brand’s Under The Skin podcast, exploring ideas and modern culture. Watch the following two extracts and consider how Gilroy’s ideas reflect recent events and media culture.
Extract 1: 17.50 – 25.45
Extract 2: 44.30 – 48.08
Paul Gilroy - blog task
Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:
1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?
He has consistently argued that racial identities are historically constructed – formed by colonisation, slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalism.
2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?
Gilroy is saying that racism isn’t caused by race, racism causes race – racism is not a natural phenomenon. Instead, Gilroy states that racial difference and racial identities are the product of racial oppression. Racial identities are caused by historical conflicts that have brought different groups into opposition.
3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?
Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to ethnic absolutism as it is counter to his argument that racism causes race.
4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?
Gilroy believes that Diasporic Identity is not limited to national contexts but is actually a way of viewing identity as a "movement" - it has come about as a result of people leaving their places of origin, and having no "sense of place" as a result of said movement.
5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?
Gilroy suggests that the dominant ideology at the time was "external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation" - again relating to the concept that Black Britons were often outsiders in society and felt like they didn't belong.
6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?
The negative effects of this are exclusion, being exposed to regressive ideologies and also marginalisation.
7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.
The media acts as a means of communication between those who are apart of the same group or going through the same process of Diasporic Identity. For example, the use of social media networks such as Twitter and blogs as a liminal space for these groups to come together and connect with people who they feel may represent them well.
8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?
He suggests that the impact that slavery had (and is still having) cannot be ignored, and that because of this, there will always be Diaspora. This idea refers to the fact that we cannot return to the time before slavery, as Africa has undergone such profound political changes as a result of the effects of slavery; therefore it is not possible for us to go back to life before it.
9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?
Double consciousness refers to the idea of having two modes of perception - it provides more ways of understanding the world. This idea of double consciousness also refers to the fact that black people often feel as though they are looking at themselves through the eyes of others. This can be applied in the US as black people are often misrepresented or presented in the way that white audiences perceive them to be. For example, presenting them as uncooperative, aggressive and violent individuals - whereas in reality they are nothing like this.
The trailer for Hidden Figures shows racial and gender stereotypes that were present during this time period. It directly challenges the stereotypical representation of black American women as they are shown to be intelligent and strong individuals who manage to manoeuvre their way through all aspects of life. This contrasts conventional representations of Black American women as they are typically shown as having lower intellect than men,specifically white males. This trailer also challenges the concept of double consciousness as it presents the story line from the perspective of the black women; thus giving them a voice to represent themselves rather than be misrepresented.
Comments
Post a Comment