Learning Outcomes – by the end of this session you will be able to: Describe the difference between ETHNICITY and RACE 2) Identify issues surrounding the stereotyping of ethnic minority groups in the media 3) Give at least three examples of media texts that offer a dominant and alternative representation of ethnicity in the media 4) Explain what ‘tokenism’ is and why it is problematic, giving at least two examples

Which ethnicity do you see? When was the last time you recall seeing this ethnicity represented in the media? Do you think Romany gypsies are often represented POSITIVELY or NEGATIVELY?

Do you think Muslims are often represented POSITIVELY or NEGATIVELY? Which ethnicity do you see? When was the last time you recall seeing this ethnicity represented in the media? Do you think Muslims are often represented POSITIVELY or NEGATIVELY?

representation of ethnicity When examining ethnicity we need to consider: Who is being represented How our understanding other ethnicities is formed by media representations How representations evolve over time, but are based on historical background, for example, the impact of the slave trade on contemporary representations of black Africa characters The impact of stereotypes on different sectors of the audience

What is the difference between ETHNICITY and RACE? Your ethnicity refers to your CULTURAL IDENTITY. This could be shown by: Your RACE is defined by the fact that you descend from a common ancestor giving you a clear set of racial characteristics, e.g. your skin colour or facial features

Representation in the 1970s: TV shows like Love Thy Neighbour and Til Death Us Do Part dealt with the issue of the increase in immigration. Goodness Gracious Me Who are we laughing at? The Fast Show: Channel 9 Why do you think this sketch was criticized?

In the media today… Evidence suggests that despite some progress, ethnic minorities are generally under-represented or are represented in stereotyped and negative ways across a range of media content.

Activity 2: Representation of ethnic minorities is, by and large, based on stereotypes. (In pairs, 3 mins) Can you think of recent examples of media texts that offer stereotypical portrayals of black culture? WHY do you think such stereotypes (a) are created and (b) continue?

The problem with stereotyping ethnicity in the media Part 1: Reinforcing prejudices. What will happen to the audience’s view of that ethnicity? The audience encounter this ethnicity mainly through media Media portrays an ethnic stereotype You could argue that the media’s misrepresentations of ethnicity are more harmful than, for example, gender stereotypes. This is because some audiences may only encounter this ethnic group through the media.

So what you get is… 1. Stereotype represented in media text 2. Audience decode text 3. Audience maintain narrow view

In his study, Alvarado (1987) identified the following stereotypes: Alvarado’s Theory (1987) In his study, Alvarado (1987) identified the following stereotypes: Exotic Dangerous Humorous Pitied

Representations Today: Black British In particular, newspapers and television programmes have a tendency to present ethnic minorities as problem or to associate Black people with physical rather than intellectual activities and to neglect, and even ignore, racism and the inequalities that result from it.

Representation of Ethnicity –TV Drama: extract: Top Boy season 1 ep 1 Representation of Ethnicity –TV Drama: extract: Top Boy season 1 ep 1. (2011) Channel 4 Top Boy 2011 (season 1 ep 1) Channel 4 Watch the next section of Series 1 Episode 1 of ‘Top Boy’ (4oD, available on Youtube). Deconstruct the codes used to create the representations (audio, visual, technical) How is the representation constructed? Link this to theory. (Alvarado) – dangerous/pitied Consider audience. Why is this representation constructed?

Recap: Learning Outcomes – by the end of this session you will be able to: Describe the difference between ETHNICITY and RACE 2) Identify issues surrounding the stereotyping of ethnic minority groups in the media 3) Give at least three examples of media texts that offer a dominant and alternative representation of ethnicity in the media 4) Explain what ‘tokenism’ is and why it is problematic, giving at least two examples