Maria Rebrean
Media,
Culture
and
Diversity
2019-2020
Prof. Frederik Dhaenens
1
,Maria Rebrean
Maria Rebrean
Table of Contents
Class 1: Introduction.........................................................................................................................4
Introduction.......................................................................................................................................4
Cases - what is at stake in the course: two Belgian, one Dutch.........................................................4
Course set up.....................................................................................................................................6
Goals..................................................................................................................................................7
Exam..................................................................................................................................................7
Weekly Summary...............................................................................................................................7
Class 2: Identity, Diversity and Popular Culture................................................................................8
Introduction: on identity....................................................................................................................8
Subjectivity, Identity and Diversity....................................................................................................8
Identity Politics................................................................................................................................10
On Media, Culture and Diversity – an introduction.........................................................................11
Politics of Representation................................................................................................................11
Stereotyping....................................................................................................................................12
Stereotyping in Popular Media Culture...........................................................................................14
Stuart Hall’s Trans-Coding Strategies...............................................................................................15
Intersectionality...............................................................................................................................16
Class 3: On Gender and Popular Media Culture..............................................................................18
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................18
Theoretical & Historical Perspectives on Sex and Gender...............................................................19
Feminism throughout history..........................................................................................................20
Researching Gender and Popular Media Culture.............................................................................21
Quantitative Approaches: Disparities in the Workplace..................................................................24
Ideological Analysis of Gender Representations..............................................................................25
Case study: Reading representation of Gender in Game of Thrones...............................................25
Poststructuralist feminism and media.............................................................................................26
Transgender Identities and Media Studies......................................................................................26
Focus on Gender and Rock Music....................................................................................................28
Conclusions and Discussion of Study...............................................................................................30
2
,Maria Rebrean
Class 4: On Sexual Diversity and Popular Media Culture.................................................................30
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................30
A Theoretical & Historical Approach to Sexual Diversity..................................................................31
Sexual Diversity in Popular Media Culture.......................................................................................33
A History of Sexual Diversity in Audiovisual Culture........................................................................36
Contemporary Trends (2000s-2020s)..............................................................................................38
Class 5: On Race, Ethnicity and Popular Media Culture...................................................................39
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................39
Theories and Debates on ‘Race and Ethnicity’.................................................................................40
Studies on ‘Race’, Ethnicity and Popular Media Culture..................................................................42
Case Study: Diaspora Girls’ Ideal Television Programs.....................................................................45
Black Musicians, Black Popular Music..............................................................................................46
Class 6: On Disability and Popular Media Culture...........................................................................48
Introduction – overview of class......................................................................................................48
Disability..........................................................................................................................................49
Disability and popular media culture...............................................................................................52
Case Study: Tytgat Chocolat............................................................................................................57
Class 8: On social class and popular media culture.........................................................................59
Overview..........................................................................................................................................59
Defining and studying social class....................................................................................................59
Studies on social class in popular media culture..............................................................................63
3
, Maria Rebrean
Class 1: Introduction
Introduction
Focus on different identities e.g. ethnicity, gender, as it is central in this course, especially related to
minorities, and in many cases, it might feel like it is directed towards personal issues
Identity politics has been expressed in polarised ways, so reactions in one sense or the other is quite
common, therefore respect is necessary. It is also interesting to place oneself inside other minorities
and understand them.
More focus on media and transdisciplinary fields, using law, politics and use them as a lens to look at
media, so many theories e.g. intersectionality and representational intersectionality can overlap.
Cases - what is at stake in the course: two Belgian, one Dutch
Miss Belgium 2018:
Angelina Flor Pua, was received differently because she does not "look
Belgian", therefore causing backlash because she had a different
background Chinese-Filipino
Issues to look at how does one look Belgium, and why the backlash,
especially in digital media was severe. It is important to look at the kind of
comments that were being outspoken. There is a movement of the othering
so people that separate her from the rest of the group: an in-and-out group,
hierarchical and moving on the basis on the stereotypes of Filipino culture
e.g. Trans-boy, thus also degrading her image in front of the contest and in
her representation of Belgium
Racism and digital media: The speed has changed as the reaction was almost immediate as she won,
news media were therefore also picking up on the issue, and reporting on this racist backlash several
hours later. The second factor is the globalisation and international, so USA picked up on the news
too by the next day.
What also needs to pointed out is that such forms of
homophobia and racist comments is that although
they are not hushed, there are people that will point
such behaviour out, especially if the act is explicit.
This leads to more structural, implicit forms, that are
not as easily detected, so it is important to see how
media reacts to this.
Others started questioning the contest as a whole, making models as commodities and selling
female bodies to audiences, and creating structural sexism. It is possible to book a Miss Belgium in
4
