INTRODUCTION
Diversity and identity: key notions in contemporary Western society
Heightened sensitivity toward role popular media culture in challenging/ shaping
perceptions & beliefs about minoritized identities
Increased demand for fair/balanced representation…
… “the pendulum has swung too far” (the pendulum… things -> woke)
Culture wars not new:
19th C: establishment democratic nation-states
‘wars’ over position religion in modern states, set of norms and values
representing the ‘modern states’
Primarily fought through cultural media
Media uproars over identity
o The last of us – online backlash (2 gay man)
‘woke’ -> people basic understanding to really understand historical
awareness
o Emerged as an African American vernacular word -> reminded black
American to remain alert to everyday racism.
People with minoritized identities
Debates and backlashes can have an impact on their everyday lives
Minoritized groups: granted legal rights, legal protection,…
… but also conditional, temporary, and at risk of being reversed
Politicians/ policy-makers: aware of symbolic role of media & popular culture
Commercial interests of big tech and cultural industries > diversity and
inclusion
Representation matters
Activists, minoritized audiences: scrutinize role popular media culture plays in
advancing or hampering living conditions minoritized groups
Course setup:
1. Exploring historical perspectives on media and diversity
2. Exploring various theoretical insights on media and diversity
3. Analyzing contemporary cases and events (trends)
CONCEPTS, DEBATES, APPROACHES
1. IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY IN WESTERN SOCIETY
1.1 ABOUT IDENTITY
Ubiquity of identity and identity categories
, Physical and bodily traits and sociocultural features: basis for identity categories
Richard Jenkins
Identification: “the systematic establishment and signification, between
individuals, between collectivities and between individuals and collectivities, of
relationships of similarity and difference”
Identity “denotes the ways in which individuals and collectivities are
distinguished in their relations with other individuals and collectivities”
Both an interactional product of ‘external’ identification by others,
as of ‘internal’ self-identification
Shaped by and dependent on culture: discourses & representations of
identities (norms and values)
o A person who identifies as women bcs repeatedly was identified by others
+ learned about it since she was born
Cultural discourses & representations about identities
(Re)produced in popular media culture
Help people making sense of who they are as a person
… buy may also hamper the lives of people as they engender normative
assumptions about people
Context-specific: expectations and categories are different in different countries
Can be dangerous if you’re pushed into certain categories
o force you to stereotype // male friendships <-> female friendships
o born as a boy -> raised as a boy + have to act like a boy => dress ‘like a
man’
1.2. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE
Social constructionist perspective
Theory of knowledge
Identities are socially constructed and vary culturally and historically
Opposes an essentialist understanding of identity
Non-essentialist philosophy
How a person makes sense of their identities
Does not dismiss that there are differences between men and women
Differences should be seen as the outcome of social processes and cultural
practices
Essentialism:
= philosophical doctrine
Assumes that certain identities are natural, biological, and historical,
exist before the birth of a person
Assumes persons with same identity share the same feelings and
experiences, throughout history and across the globe (every
man/women feels the same)
Men and women ‘inherently different beings’ who belong to separate
categories
,1.3 SOCIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY, INEQUALITY, AND IDENTITY POLITICS
Sociocultural diversity, inequality, and identity politics
Sociocultural diversity: “all kinds of differences between individuals and groups”
(Arnesen & Allan, 2009)
Discourses about diversity are deeply political
Discursive constructions of identities as ‘normal’, ‘mainstream’, or ‘superior’
vs. identities constructed as ‘abnormal’, ‘deviant’, or ‘inferior’
o Constructing identities as binary, oppositional, and hierarchical
o Constructing cultural repertoires that limit diversity within identity categories
Men and women are seen as very distinct categories of people
=> men granted more power than women
structural inequalities in institutions, culture, and everyday life practices
How to make visible, question, overthrow structural forms of oppression?
Identity politics: “The forging of ‘new languages’ of identity combined with
acting to change social practices, usually through the formation of coalitions
where at least some values are shared” (Barker, 2012)
Celebrating a share culture…
o Women fought for rights
o Unite to demand something, putting our differences aside
Poststructuralist and social constructionist scholars pointed out shared culture
was presented as homogenous and essentialist
Alternatively, emphasizing a shared identity as strategic: (Mary Bernstein)
o Helps formation of a social collective & clear set of goals
o Does not have to imply that other intersecting identities are annulled
o Shared identity can be experienced & signified in diverse ways
Focus on #MeToo movement
’me too’ Movement: activist group, set up by Tarana Burke in 2006;
support survivors of sexual violence and other forms of systemic abuse of power
(mainly women of colour)
2017: hashtag to call out sexual abuse and encourage other survivors to make
explicit the magnitude of abuse
Abuse reported by (mainly) white Hollywood actresses received more media
attention than abuse reported by young women of color
o High-profile celebrities hold celebrity capital
accumulated media visibility through recurrent
media representations” (Driessens, 2016): used to call out
sexual harassment
Women in precarious positions do not dispose of the same symbolic or materials
means to call out men in powerful positions
1.4. INTERSECTIONALITY
Kimerblé Crenshaw: reflected on the things we just saw with the #metoo
movement
, Scholar in law, critical race theory and civil rights
‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against
Women of Color’ (1991)
Identity-based politics: importance and pitfalls
Violence against women of color: shaped by intersecting patterns of racism and
sexism
o Women who were refugees without official papers: were victims/ survivors of
violence but these people could not go anywhere with their problems
because if they went to the police they would see they do not have papers
1. Structural intersectionality Intersection of race and gender makes actual
experiences of non-white women qualitatively different than that of white
women. Policies and legislation aiming to challenge gender-based violence ->
white women’s experiences = ignoring structural hindrances women of colour
may experience.
2. Political intersectionality: Intersectionality needs to be the fundamental
basis for politics and policies
Feminist and anti-racist politics’ hegemonic logics have reproduced
oppressive discourses
A lot of policies didn’t take the intersection into account
o Women of colour fight oppression -> forced to split their energy
between two formation.
o Anti-racist identity politics have led to anti-racist discourses, dismiss
questions about gender and sexism.
3. Representational intersectionality: Cultural construction of women of
color
Using an intersectional lens to ask questions about the sociocultural
implications of representations
American lawsuit against the members of 2 Live Crew:
Hiphop, the 90’s – already ready to deliver their third album
o Droped the album
o Couple weeks later they performed it and were arrested for it
Arrested and charged under Florida’s obscenity statute, June 1990
Two days before: Federal court judge considers As Nasty as They Wanna Be
(1989) legally obscene
o “It is an appeal to dirty thoughts and the loins, not to the intellect and the
mind.”
o ‘Me So Horny’ (single)
Members were acquitted (October ’90) – album’s ‘obscene character’ only later
overturned (in ‘92)
Crenshaw: focused on the public debate about the case
o What was being said about the representation of black women
o Debate dominated by two positions
First time in the US that music was seen as illegal and obscene
Diversity and identity: key notions in contemporary Western society
Heightened sensitivity toward role popular media culture in challenging/ shaping
perceptions & beliefs about minoritized identities
Increased demand for fair/balanced representation…
… “the pendulum has swung too far” (the pendulum… things -> woke)
Culture wars not new:
19th C: establishment democratic nation-states
‘wars’ over position religion in modern states, set of norms and values
representing the ‘modern states’
Primarily fought through cultural media
Media uproars over identity
o The last of us – online backlash (2 gay man)
‘woke’ -> people basic understanding to really understand historical
awareness
o Emerged as an African American vernacular word -> reminded black
American to remain alert to everyday racism.
People with minoritized identities
Debates and backlashes can have an impact on their everyday lives
Minoritized groups: granted legal rights, legal protection,…
… but also conditional, temporary, and at risk of being reversed
Politicians/ policy-makers: aware of symbolic role of media & popular culture
Commercial interests of big tech and cultural industries > diversity and
inclusion
Representation matters
Activists, minoritized audiences: scrutinize role popular media culture plays in
advancing or hampering living conditions minoritized groups
Course setup:
1. Exploring historical perspectives on media and diversity
2. Exploring various theoretical insights on media and diversity
3. Analyzing contemporary cases and events (trends)
CONCEPTS, DEBATES, APPROACHES
1. IDENTITY AND DIVERSITY IN WESTERN SOCIETY
1.1 ABOUT IDENTITY
Ubiquity of identity and identity categories
, Physical and bodily traits and sociocultural features: basis for identity categories
Richard Jenkins
Identification: “the systematic establishment and signification, between
individuals, between collectivities and between individuals and collectivities, of
relationships of similarity and difference”
Identity “denotes the ways in which individuals and collectivities are
distinguished in their relations with other individuals and collectivities”
Both an interactional product of ‘external’ identification by others,
as of ‘internal’ self-identification
Shaped by and dependent on culture: discourses & representations of
identities (norms and values)
o A person who identifies as women bcs repeatedly was identified by others
+ learned about it since she was born
Cultural discourses & representations about identities
(Re)produced in popular media culture
Help people making sense of who they are as a person
… buy may also hamper the lives of people as they engender normative
assumptions about people
Context-specific: expectations and categories are different in different countries
Can be dangerous if you’re pushed into certain categories
o force you to stereotype // male friendships <-> female friendships
o born as a boy -> raised as a boy + have to act like a boy => dress ‘like a
man’
1.2. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST PERSPECTIVE
Social constructionist perspective
Theory of knowledge
Identities are socially constructed and vary culturally and historically
Opposes an essentialist understanding of identity
Non-essentialist philosophy
How a person makes sense of their identities
Does not dismiss that there are differences between men and women
Differences should be seen as the outcome of social processes and cultural
practices
Essentialism:
= philosophical doctrine
Assumes that certain identities are natural, biological, and historical,
exist before the birth of a person
Assumes persons with same identity share the same feelings and
experiences, throughout history and across the globe (every
man/women feels the same)
Men and women ‘inherently different beings’ who belong to separate
categories
,1.3 SOCIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY, INEQUALITY, AND IDENTITY POLITICS
Sociocultural diversity, inequality, and identity politics
Sociocultural diversity: “all kinds of differences between individuals and groups”
(Arnesen & Allan, 2009)
Discourses about diversity are deeply political
Discursive constructions of identities as ‘normal’, ‘mainstream’, or ‘superior’
vs. identities constructed as ‘abnormal’, ‘deviant’, or ‘inferior’
o Constructing identities as binary, oppositional, and hierarchical
o Constructing cultural repertoires that limit diversity within identity categories
Men and women are seen as very distinct categories of people
=> men granted more power than women
structural inequalities in institutions, culture, and everyday life practices
How to make visible, question, overthrow structural forms of oppression?
Identity politics: “The forging of ‘new languages’ of identity combined with
acting to change social practices, usually through the formation of coalitions
where at least some values are shared” (Barker, 2012)
Celebrating a share culture…
o Women fought for rights
o Unite to demand something, putting our differences aside
Poststructuralist and social constructionist scholars pointed out shared culture
was presented as homogenous and essentialist
Alternatively, emphasizing a shared identity as strategic: (Mary Bernstein)
o Helps formation of a social collective & clear set of goals
o Does not have to imply that other intersecting identities are annulled
o Shared identity can be experienced & signified in diverse ways
Focus on #MeToo movement
’me too’ Movement: activist group, set up by Tarana Burke in 2006;
support survivors of sexual violence and other forms of systemic abuse of power
(mainly women of colour)
2017: hashtag to call out sexual abuse and encourage other survivors to make
explicit the magnitude of abuse
Abuse reported by (mainly) white Hollywood actresses received more media
attention than abuse reported by young women of color
o High-profile celebrities hold celebrity capital
accumulated media visibility through recurrent
media representations” (Driessens, 2016): used to call out
sexual harassment
Women in precarious positions do not dispose of the same symbolic or materials
means to call out men in powerful positions
1.4. INTERSECTIONALITY
Kimerblé Crenshaw: reflected on the things we just saw with the #metoo
movement
, Scholar in law, critical race theory and civil rights
‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence Against
Women of Color’ (1991)
Identity-based politics: importance and pitfalls
Violence against women of color: shaped by intersecting patterns of racism and
sexism
o Women who were refugees without official papers: were victims/ survivors of
violence but these people could not go anywhere with their problems
because if they went to the police they would see they do not have papers
1. Structural intersectionality Intersection of race and gender makes actual
experiences of non-white women qualitatively different than that of white
women. Policies and legislation aiming to challenge gender-based violence ->
white women’s experiences = ignoring structural hindrances women of colour
may experience.
2. Political intersectionality: Intersectionality needs to be the fundamental
basis for politics and policies
Feminist and anti-racist politics’ hegemonic logics have reproduced
oppressive discourses
A lot of policies didn’t take the intersection into account
o Women of colour fight oppression -> forced to split their energy
between two formation.
o Anti-racist identity politics have led to anti-racist discourses, dismiss
questions about gender and sexism.
3. Representational intersectionality: Cultural construction of women of
color
Using an intersectional lens to ask questions about the sociocultural
implications of representations
American lawsuit against the members of 2 Live Crew:
Hiphop, the 90’s – already ready to deliver their third album
o Droped the album
o Couple weeks later they performed it and were arrested for it
Arrested and charged under Florida’s obscenity statute, June 1990
Two days before: Federal court judge considers As Nasty as They Wanna Be
(1989) legally obscene
o “It is an appeal to dirty thoughts and the loins, not to the intellect and the
mind.”
o ‘Me So Horny’ (single)
Members were acquitted (October ’90) – album’s ‘obscene character’ only later
overturned (in ‘92)
Crenshaw: focused on the public debate about the case
o What was being said about the representation of black women
o Debate dominated by two positions
First time in the US that music was seen as illegal and obscene
