Race/EthnicityRepresentation in TV drama

Objectives:•To be able to identify ethnic stereotypes;•To explore some of the issues surrounding representation of race/ethnicity in the media;•To analyse representations of ethnicity in a TV drama extract.

Arrange yourselves thusly, with plenty of space around you...NicoleDaisy

ConorMollyHarry

Charlie NDan

SeanKerry

ThaboRebecca

Charlie LCeren

Task

On your sugar paper:•draw what you would consider to be a STEREOTYPICAL representation of a man/woman of your given ethnic group•give him/her a stereotypical name•add words to describe their character and backgroundIf you can:•add possible occupations they would have•add possible storylines they might feature inIMPORTANT: TRY TO KEEP YOUR DISCUSSIONS QUIET SO THAT OTHER GROUPS DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO...

Ethnic Stereotypes 

Black - criminal boys/men (gang culture), patriarchal/religious system (African), relaxed /joker (West Indian)Asian (Indian/Pakistani etc) - often linked with religion (Muslim), corner shop-owners/restaurant workers, poor, large families, fiercely Patriarchal - strict, sometimes aggressive/violent men, subservient disempowered womenEast Asian (Chinese/Japanese etc) - generally under-represented, restaurant owners/workers, prodigious children, intelligent, nerdy, submissive, interested in technologyEastern European (Polish etc) - strong work ethic, family-oriented, tradesmen/cleaners, illegal immigrants, bad for BritainMiddle Eastern – terrorists, violent, aggressive etcHispanic – lower class, menial jobs, unintelligent/poorly educated etc Following the earlier activity, what other qualities could you add?

Theory

Alvarado's 'stereotypes'/key themes in racial representations:w Exoticw Humourousw Dangerousw Pitiedw (recently added) Sexualised

Check these against the stereotypical features of each ethnic group...

How could you apply (or not) Alvarado to these characters:

Who's missing..?

Ethnicity and Power•Britain is increasingly multicultural and representations have changed in recent years as a result BUT it's important to remember that the dominant ideology in our society is still a white, western one. How about the US?•Anything non-white is often constructed in terms of 'otherness' (binary opposition = 'us' and 'them').•When considering race/ethnicity in TV drama you should also remember that the majority of programme-makers are white and so the representations of minority groups have been constructed largely from a point of ignorance, and rarely from actual personal experience. Representations of the dominant white culture, however, are part of their own identity.How might this impact on the representations of

minority groups?

General 'Rules'

•Often positioned as outsiders•Often working menial jobs•Often stereotypical and/or underdeveloped characters•'Otherness' is often highlighted through clothing, accent/language, religious beliefs and other cultural indicators•Where positively represented, often seen as in need of pity/help•SOCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY SUBSERVIENT TO WHITE WESTERNS IN KEEPING WITH WHITE WESTERN DOMINANT IDEOLOGY•Ethnicity often portrayed as being an important part of their identity as well as featuring heavily in their storylines

Analysis

Explore the ways in which Ethnicity is represented in the following extract from Hotel Babylon. You should consider:•Cinematography•Mise-en-scene•Sound•EditingRemember: As with all questions of representation, it is important to consider the interactions between characters (minority/white), to ascertain the power structure and to consider whether ethnicity is being shown as important to characters' identities.

Cinematography

Sound

Editing

Mise-en-scene

Homework:Write up your essay response for next double lesson.Use the mark scheme and your previous feedback to try and improve your grade.