Theories of Representation – 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’ (e.g. through ethnocentrism).
Theories of Identity – David Gauntlett
The idea that the media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we 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.
Feminist Theory – Liesbet van Zoonen
The idea that gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context.
The idea that the display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture.
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 body.
Feminist Theory – bell hooks
The idea that feminism is a struggle to end sexist/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.
Theories of gender performativity – 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 a ritual.
Theories around ethnicity and postcolonial theory – Paul Gilroy
The idea that colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era.
The idea that civilisations construct racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness.
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