Representation

Ethnicity

EthnicityDictionary Definition• 1. relating to or characteristic of a human group having racial, religious, linguistic,

and certain other traits in common• 2. relating to the classification of mankind into groups, esp on the basis of racial

characteristics • 3. denoting or deriving from the cultural traditions of a group of people: the ethnic

dances of Slovakia • 4. characteristic of another culture: the ethnic look ; ethnic food

• Your ethnicity is defined by your cultural identity which may demonstrate itself through customs, dress, food. Ethnicity suggests an identity that is based on a sense of place, ideology or religion. You can be British but of Jewish ethnicity.

Ethnic Breakdown in UK

Stereotypes of Ethnicity

Alvarado’s (1987) stereotypes in the representation of ethnicity and race;

• EXOTIC • DANGEROUS • PITIED • HUMOUROUS. • A recent revision of this has added the

SEXUALISED stereotype

Change• Representation of people from other cultures in the media

has changed dramatically since earlier days where they were defined in their potential for comedy and ‘foreignness’

• Fawlty Towers: http://bit.ly/1jCS7JS

Otherness

• People from other cultures still tend to be defined by their ‘otherness’. This can be see as either positive or negative.

Stereotypes and mis-representation

• Some stereotypes and mis-representations can be dangerous as the representation that is constructed by the media is often the only experience of these cultures some audiences will have.

Young Blacks

• Young black people have been demonised by some areas of the media and are presented as linked to violence and gang culture

Tokenism

• Some programmes have representations of ethnic minorities. These tend to focus on the stereotypical aspects of that culture, for example arranged marriages.

Do you have any examples?

Positive representations

• Ethnic minorities are presented more positively in the music industry where there is scope to celebrate their cultural roots.

Question

• How are ethnic groups represented in the music industry?

Back up your points with specific examples

Task

Find examples of ethnic minorities in the media for each of these categories

• EXOTIC • DANGEROUS • PITIED • HUMOUROUS. • SEXUALISED

Big Fat Gypsy

• Clip

• How is this ethnicity represented in this programme.

• How is the representation constructed?• Does it use stereotypes or challenge the

stereotypes

• Look at the Hotel Babylon extract below. To what extent are the stereotypes confirmed or contradicted?