This document discusses representation of ethnicity in media through various theories and concepts. It begins by explaining the effects model and hypodermic needle theory, which view audiences as passive receivers of media messages. It then provides examples of dominant, subordinate, and hegemonic groups. The rest of the document discusses common stereotypes of different ethnic groups in media and why challenging stereotypes is important. It also notes more positive representations are possible and outlines Alvarado's four themes of dangerous, humorous, pitied, and exotic representations.

1. Representation of
Ethnicity

2. The Effects Model
•The Bobo Doll Experiment
• This was conducted in 1961 by Albert Bandura

3. Hypodermic needle theory
• The media inject messages into their audiences
• The audience is seen as passive and unable to resist these media messages
• Theory associated with Marxism academics - Marxists are traditionally hostile to the media
– seeing it as vehicle to enable ruling class to maintain their dominance over society
• The theory first articulated in a different era to our own – a time when the mass media was
still relatively new
• Effects young minds – Bobo Doll experiment
• Continues to apply to today: creates Moral panics
• Also creates feelings of ‘I want it’ / ‘I must have it’ / ‘I must look like this’.

4. What is a dominant group?
A group that has more population than the subordinate group.
What is a subordinate group?
Belonging to a lower or inferior class rank.
What is hegemony?
The socially accepted and agreed beliefs of those in the ruling class.
Recap

5.  Powerful:
physical/intellectual
 Often the hero
 Serial killer/Villain
 In charge (dominant
race)
 Lead role
• Intelligent
• Martial artist
• Obsessed with
electronics
• Quirky or weak
• Terrorists/violent
• Very religious
• Physically strong
• Strict/stern/not a push
over
• Serious
• Victims (female)
• Villains/rarely seen as
heroes
• Gangster
• “Token’’
character
• Poor
• Criminal
• Victim
• Hero
• Ugly
• Uneducated
• Silly/not taken
seriously
• Illegal aliens
• Partiers
• Involved in drugs
• Sex symbols

6. - Gangster
- “Token character’’
- Poor/Impoverished
- Criminal
- Victim
- Hero
African descent

7.  Intelligent
 Martial artist
 Obsessed with electronics
 Quirky or weak
 Lack emotion
 Women can be seen as ditzy
in some cases
Asian descent

8.  Ugly
 Uneducated
 Silly/not taken seriously
 Illegal immigrants
 Partiers
 Involved in drugs
(dealing/taking)
 Sex symbols (Antonio Banderez,
Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Selena
Gomez).
Latino descent

9.  Terrorists/violent
 Very religious
 Physically strong
 Strict/stern/not a push over
 Serious
 Victims (female)
 Villains/rarely seen as heroes
Middle Eastern (Arabic) descent

10.  Powerful: physical/intellectual
 Often the hero
 Serial killer/Villain
 In charge (dominant race)
 Lead role
White British/American

11.  Stereotyping of race is seen as more harmful than
stereotyping of gender, as media representation
may constitute the only experience of contact with
a particular ethnic group that an audience
(particularly an audience of children) may have.
Representation of Ethnicity

12. • Racial stereotypes are often based on social myth,
perpetuated down the ages. Thus, the media
depiction of, say, Native American Indians, might
provide a child with their only experience of Native
American Indian culture and characters, and may
provide that child with a set of narrow prejudices
which will not be challenged elsewhere within their
experience.
Why is it important?

13. However…
• Is it just white western people who adopt
potentially distorted ideas of race?
• Watch

18. The representations aren’t all
bad…

21. Alvarado Theory (1987)
Four Key Themes in Racial Representations:
•Dangerous
•Humorous
•Pitied
•Exotic

22. The Exotic
• Ethnic groups are seen as
exotic or being ‘the other’
and are represented as being
strange or unusual. It is
assumed that the dominant
reading of the audience will
be from the point of view of
white people, referred to as
the ‘white eye’ (Hall 1990).

23. The Dangerous
• Minorities are sometimes
represented as a threat to
society. The news and other
media may present these
groups as taking advantage
of a society and exposes, in
some cases, an underlying
institutional racism.

24. The Humorous
• In the 1970s, race was a major vehicle for comedy.
Programs removed the threat of different races by
making them the butt of the jokes. There is evidence
of a more positive change.

25. The Pitied
• Representation of ethnic groups may
be as deprived groups or victims of
natural disasters like, famine, floods,
and sometimes conflicts. Images of
children are often used by charities
to gain sympathy.

26. Tokenism
Tokenism is a practice of limited inclusion or artistic
and/or political representation of members of a
traditionally marginalised group, usually creating a
false appearance of inclusive practices rather than
discrimination.
These characters are often represented as blue collar
workers.
E.G – Purposely including a member of a minority race
such as a black character in an all white cast

30. List as many famous black
countertypes as you can (2 mins)
List as many ‘stereotypical’
representations as you can
(2mins)