Representation Theorists

Representation Theorists

1. Liesbet van Zoonen

   • Gender is constructed through discourse and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context.
   • A core aspect of western culture is that female bodies are designed to be looked at.
     • We have no chosen to represent our female characters in this way as it is not appropriate for the age of the characters and we want to show them as equals to men
   • The idea that 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.
   • In a nutshell: Men and women are represented differently in the media.
     • Women are objectified as a result of western culture.

2. Stuart Hall

   • 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'.
   • In a nutshell: Media language is used to create representations. Stereotyping is often used to assert power.

3. David Gauntlett

   • The idea that the media provide us with 'tools' or resources that 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.
     • We do not have straightforward representations of females in out thriller, they can be seen as either strong or weak.
   • 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.

4. Bell Hooks

   • The idea that feminism is a struggle to end exist/patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination.
   • The idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice.
   • The idea that race and class as well as sex determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed.
   • In a nutshell: Feminism is a political struggle to end patriarchal domination and other factors affect this domination, including race and class.

5. Judith Butler

   • 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 ritual.
   • In a nutshell: Gender is social construct - 'masculine' and 'feminine' are created through repetition.

6. Paul Gilroy

   • The idea that colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the post colonial era.
   • The idea that civilisationism constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness.
   • Even though we no longer have colonies, the representation of these groups is still affected by that time.

7. Dick Hebdige

   • Troublesome youth
     • Political Use
   • Fun-loving youth
     • Commercial Use
   • Two dimensional representation of youth

8. Tessa Perkins

   • Stereotypes are not always negative
   • They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful
   • They can be held about one's own group
   • They are not rigid or unchanging
   • They are not always false