Rep
Stuart hall
Representation is the production of meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs
The relationship between concepts and signs is governed by codes
Representations provide a “shared conceptual road map” that gives meaning to the world of the text.
Stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits
Stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power
Rep
David gauntlett
Identity
The media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities
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.
Rep
Van Zoonen
feminist
Gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context
The display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture
In 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 body.
The media can contribute to social change by representing women in non-traditional roles
Rep
Bell Hooks
feminist/ethnic
-Feminisim is a struggle to end sexist/patriachal oppresion and the ideology of domination.
-Feminism is a politcal commitment rather than a lifestyle.
-race,sex and class also determine exploitation.
Rep
Paul Gilroy
postcolonial and ethnicity
Colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era
Civilisationism constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness.
Rep
Butler
Gender and performativity
Identity is performatively constructed by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results (it is manufactured through a set of acts)
There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender
Performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition and a ritual.
