Unit 3- Exam Blog ..: Post-colonialism ..

Post Colonialism Theory

19th & 20th century - Britain and other European powers held colonial empires in Africa, Asia and South America.
Colonist produced media which naturalised colonialism-they were bringing a civilising influence to the colonist countries.
Post Colonialism emphasises the importance of the cultural, economic, political and military dominance of this past.
The absence of non-white images in the media, visually suggests the dominance of the white culture.

Edward Said (1995) introduced this concept, it's a perspective that suggest the East and the Orient are representations of both fear and fascination.

Diaspora Identity - means to be forced or voluntary migration.
People experience a sense of belonging to a culture of the country of residence.

Suggest that there are four types of representations for members of the black community

Black and Asian people are often represented in negative roles, such as Villains or the 'helper'.
Representations in soaps, rely on myths that relate to the colonialism past, such as Asian shopkeepers.
Remember: Stereotypes and representations are often constructed as binary opposite.
Such representations exaggerate the differences and minimise the similarities between people in different groups and can be seen as legitmising often negative attitudes.