Representation Intro


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Representation Intro

  1. 1. Representation & StereotypingWhat is it and why is it important?
  2. 2. What Representation is….Representation is about the relationship between people, places, events, ideas, values and beliefs in the world and their re- presentation (or mediation) in media texts e.g. the relationship between actual people seeking asylum in the UK and the ways in which tabloid newspapers represent “asylum seekers”
  3. 3. What Representation is……….representation is a selective processany representation contains only a fraction of what could have beenpresentedas a media audience, we are so used to reading media texts thatwe can forget that a representation has been through a process ofselection and mediationas media students, we need to be able: •to analyse a representation and the process that produced it •to evaluate the realism / accuracy / truth of representations, by deconstructing the texts •to consider the values behind the representation • to consider how different audiences make different readings of these representations.
  4. 4. how representation worksthe media make categories of people, events and ideasa representation of one of these contains the point of view andvalues of those who made itthe elements of a representation are repeated to the point wherethe representation comes to seem natural (the representation isnaturalized)the text making the representation makes assumptions about itsaudiencethe audience is invited to identify with, or to recognise, therepresentation (and the values behind it), but they may read the textdifferently
  5. 5. types & stereotypesread the handout on Representation by type and Stereotypes(from David McQueen’sTelevision: a Media Student’s Guide)•why do the media need to use types?•make a definition and give an example of • A stereotypehighlight the key points that Tessa Perkins makes aboutstereotypes
  6. 6. why representation is important (and political)most common representations in our culture reflect the interestsof the dominant interests in societydominant groups have achieved their power and statusthrough complex processes of history, economics and socialpoliticsdominant groups tend to control institutions like government,the law, education, the media – enabling them to sustain theirpositiondominant groups promote themselves as “normal” whilemarginalizing others as “different” or “abnormal”subordinate groups have to struggle, often for a long time, tochallenge these representations and to gain recognition
  7. 7. Analysis of Stereotyping& issues surrounding representationConsider the representation & stereotypes (Essex) offered in the following sequence. - who is being represented? -how are they being represented? -why are they being represented in this way?
  8. 8. Analysis of Stereotyping & issues surrounding representationHow does this differ from the stereotypes/ representations offered of the same group (age) here? Why is it different?
  9. 9. So how are theserepresentations constructed?Let’s go back to the two extracts………How do the micro elements (Cinematography, editing, sound &mise-en-scene) work to construct the representations that weuncovered?The Only Way is Essex in Chelsea