Media Studies - Gilroy's Postcolonialist Theory - Simple Guide For Students & Teachers

Summary

This engaging guide by Mrs. Fisher delves into Paul Gilroy's postcolonialist theory, exploring the profound impact of colonialism on modern media. From the extensive colonial period spanning the 1500s to the 1900s, many countries claimed and ruled over foreign lands, notably Britain. This expansion contributed to the British Empire's growth at the locals' expense. Gilroy suggests that the remnants of this era still resonate today, affecting how ethnic minorities are portrayed in media. The theory highlights how such groups are often marginalized or presented as 'other,' reflecting enduring postcolonial stereotypes. An example is the Water Aid advert, showcasing British superiority and supposed benevolence towards African nations, reinforcing historical power imbalances.

Highlights

• Colonialism's extensive past influences today’s media landscapes. 📺
• Ethnic minorities are often shown as 'other' in media, echoing postcolonial themes. 🗣️
• Media representations reflect historical power dynamics and stereotypes. 📜
• Water Aid adverts are examples of lingering colonial perspectives. 💧
• Analyzing media through a postcolonial lens reveals underlying biases. 🔍

Key Takeaways

• Paul Gilroy's postcolonialist theory connects past colonial practices to present-day media portrayals. 🌍
• Media often depicts ethnic minorities as 'other,' perpetuating stereotypes. 🎥
• Postcolonial themes reflect historical power imbalances still prevalent in today's society. ⚖️
• Colonial history influences modern perceptions, seen in adverts and narratives. 📰
• Understanding these media depictions helps challenge and change societal views. 💡

Overview

In Mrs. Fisher's captivating guide, we dive into the depths of Paul Gilroy's postcolonialist theory, shedding light on the lasting impacts of historical colonialism. Between the 1500s and 1900s, powerful nations like Britain ventured out to claim foreign lands, influencing their people and resources. This period, though long past, casts a shadow over today's media.

Gilroy's theory suggests that remnants of colonialism seep into modern media, where ethnic minorities are frequently depicted through a skewed lens. This portrayals often highlight them as 'other,' marginalizing and dehumanizing them as less powerful compared to their white British counterparts. These media narratives perpetuate age-old stereotypes, a critical element of Gilroy's theory.

A prime example discussed is the Water Aid advert, which inadvertently echoes colonial attitudes. By contrasting rainy, resourceful Britain against arid, struggling African nations, the advert plays into a narrative of British benevolence and control. Such representations are crucial for unpacking the postcolonial influence in media, as they subtly reinforce historical power imbalances.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Gilroy's Postcolonialist Theory In this chapter, the concept of Paul Gilroy's postcolonialist theory is introduced. To grasp this theory, one needs to comprehend the historical context of colonialism. The chapter begins by explaining colonialism, which occurred mainly between the 1500s and 1900s, marked by countries seeking to explore, conquer, and exert control over other countries. This foundational understanding of colonialism is crucial for understanding Gilroy's critique and analysis of the postcolonial landscape.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Historical Context of Colonialism The chapter discusses the historical context of colonialism focusing on Britain's colonization efforts. It highlights how Britain, through its soldiers, military, and government, traveled to places like India, the Caribbean, and Africa, claiming these territories as their own. They implemented their own soldiers and governance, acting as though they owned the territories they occupied.
• 01:00 - 01:30: The Process of Colonization by Britain This chapter delves into Britain's colonization process, focusing on how local inhabitants were compelled to adhere to British rule. It discusses the unkind nature of the colonizers and the overarching goal of expanding the British Empire. The chapter also touches upon Paul Gilroy's perspective on this historical period.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Impact of Colonization on Local Populations Colonization has had a significant and lasting impact, evident not only in historical contexts but also in contemporary media as of 2018. Media representations often highlight the dehumanization and marginalization of ethnic minorities, particularly those from previously colonized regions. These groups are commonly portrayed as 'other,' reflecting ongoing cultural and societal challenges rooted in colonial histories.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Gilroy's Theory on Media Representation This chapter discusses Gilroy's Theory on Media Representation, focusing on how certain groups are portrayed in media. These portrayals often emphasize their differences, depicting them as abnormal, strange, or exotic, and are not as highly regarded as white British communities in terms of power, success, or status. The discussion might include examples, such as the representation of different communities in products like Water Aid, highlighting the contrast between British society and others.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Concept of 'Otherness' in Media The chapter discusses the portrayal of 'Otherness' in media, using a contrast between a British setting and an African country. It highlights how media representations emphasize differences through visuals and accents. The British scene is characterized by an upper-class accent, rainy weather, and an abundance of water, suggesting affluence. Conversely, the African scene is depicted as dry and arid, with limited access to water, underscoring scarcity. This stark contrast serves to reinforce stereotypes and perceptions of difference between the two settings.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Example of Water Aid Advertisement The chapter discusses the portrayal of water scarcity in advertisements, focusing on a specific Water Aid advertisement. It highlights how the advert depicts people walking long distances for water and includes a voiceover urging viewers to donate money to aid those in need. The chapter also explores the post-colonial critique by Gilroy, suggesting that the advertisement implies a power dynamic where Britain and its people are shown as powerful and capable of saving powerless individuals in African countries. This portrayal reflects post-colonial ideas and suggests the importance of critically analyzing such messages.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Analysis of Power and Status in Media This chapter explores the themes of power and status as portrayed in media products, examining the potential connections to post-colonialist theories.

Media Studies - Gilroy's Postcolonialist Theory - Simple Guide For Students & Teachers Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hello and welcome to my easy-to-understand guide to Paul Gilroy's post colonialist theory in order to understand this theory you're going to need to understand what colonialism or colonization was so I'm going to try and explain it in a way that makes it easy to understand between the 1500s and the 1900s we had this period of colonialization and what that was was countries deciding that they wanted to go to other countries and take
• 00:30 - 01:00 over claim them as their own and essentially start running them and Britain did this quite a lot British soldiers British military and government traveled to lots of places such as India lots of places within the Caribbean and within Africa and they essentially sailed there got out their boats and decided to take over they installed their own soldiers their own military their own government and they basically started to act as though they owned that
• 01:00 - 01:30 country and all the people all the locals they actually lived in that country at the time then had to start kind of obeying and listening to the British people that were there as their rulers and we weren't very nice people and what this meant was that we were kind of trying to increase the British Empire we were trying to grow our country and to make our country more powerful by doing this now Paul Gilroy believes that that period of
• 01:30 - 02:00 colonization has had a massive knock-on effect and that we can see that effect in our media even now in 2018 and onwards so if you have a look at media products Gilroy thinks that you can still see people from ethnic minorities and in particular from those areas that perhaps we colonized and took over as being dehumanized as being marginalized as being shown as other which is a term
• 02:00 - 02:30 that Gil will use is we often put it in quotation marks and what it means is they're seen as abnormal they're seen as different than seem strange or exotic and then not seen as being as good or as powerful or successful or high up in terms of status as people from white British communities do you have a look for example at a product like water aid at the beginning we are seeing Britain ostensibly we're
• 02:30 - 03:00 seeing a British radio with a British accent we're seeing the rainy weather and it's very obvious that this is supposed to be somewhere in Britain and it looks reasonably middle-class the accent is quite upper-class and they've clearly got an abundance of water because of the rain and then we cut to the scenes of an African country where it's very dry it's very arid clearly people do not have access or easy access to the water that they need every day
• 03:00 - 03:30 people having to walk long distances for it and the voiceover is telling us later on in the advert that we need to donate money to help these poor people that need our assistance and gilroy might say that this advert has evidence of post-colonial ists ideas because we're showing Britain and British people as being more successful and powerful and having the power to save people in African countries who are powerless so it's important to be able to look at
• 03:30 - 04:00 products and look at status and power and whether that might relate to post colonialist ideas