Post-colonialism

Post-Colonialism – the basics

TERMINOLOGY

Colonialism = European nations invading other countries and ‘colonising’ them.

Coloniser – the Western nations who invaded.

Colonised – the native people whose countries were invaded.

Post-colonial – refers to period after colonies ceased to exist.

Post-colonialism – theory that there is a colonialist legacy, that the colonial era and its ideologies still impact on media products today.

Military Imperialism – historically, European countries invading other countries in an attempt to exploit their natural resources, including their labour forces in the Slave Trade.

Jingoism – excessive patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy.

Cultural Imperialism – idea that ‘Western’ culture (pop music, food, sports, cultural values) can ‘invade’ that of developing countries and erode the traditional culture.

Orientalism – theory of Edward Said, that the East provokes both fear and fascination for Western audiences who view Asians as ‘the other.’

The Commonwealth – group of nations which formerly made up the British Empire.

Tokenism – deliberate inclusion of ‘minorities’ in a role simply because a quota needs to be filled or to avoid being accused of discrimination.

Positive Discrimination – actively employing or giving a role to minority groups as a priority eg Asian officers in police force.

Many European cultures, including Britain, once had empires which involved sending settlers to areas of Africa and the East and colonising those areas – taking them over and imposing their culture on the culture already there. Natural resources like gold and diamonds were exploited and the empires were often built on slavery.

In Media Studies, post-colonialism is the study of the power relationships between previously colonised cultures and people and the way they are represented by us, the colonisers. Post-colonial theory is based on the idea that whilst many previously colonised nations now have independence, there is still a ‘legacy’ which affects a number of media products. The dominant ideology surrounding representation of these countries is still that the white Western world is superior and more sophisticated. When a media student analyses a text from a post-colonial perspective, they might look at:

• How films and TV programmes represent former colonies – as ‘third world’ countries of struggling, backward people? Certainly, we tend to do this with India which ironically, has a very ancient and sophisticated culture, much older than ours and much more civilised.
• How stereotypes surrounding colonised nations might be reinforced by the media.
• How the media constructs racial identity – nature vs nurture debates – are racial characteristics biological or constructed by media?
• The viewpoint offered by the film or TV programme – coloniser’s view of the colonised? Is it possible, for example, for a white film director to represent India in an unbiased way? Or will dominant Western ideologies inevitably affect the representation in some way?

 

Example Texts to Analyse

Representation of terrorists: Casino Royale (2006)

24 (2001-)

Orientalism: Die Another Day (2002)

         Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Colonialist Legacy: Avatar (2009)

Eurocentric representation of ‘other’: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Post-colonialism Prezi

Google glass and postmodernism

Google recently uploaded a short video segment under its Google Glass channel in celebration of Mother’s Day. This two and a half minute video clip, titled “Seeds,” was shot entirely using Google Glass and created by students of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. The video documents a man’s surprise journey to his mother as he travels from the United States to Japan and then India, his final destination. Though short, this video moved millions of viewers, as social media reacted immediately by sharing the video over thousands of times.

In using postmodern and production analysis, we are able to see how mass media is able to shape social relationships as well as create the different meanings viewers take away. I will begin by analyzing the postmodern aspects of the film and its production, which includes looking at the implications of the Google Glass gadget as a production tool. In my analysis I will also address the synergies between postmodern approach and reception theory, which is highlighted in the different meanings viewers take away. I will conclude by stating how this media text may build on media experiences.

Google Glass, which became available to the public for purchase in mid-April, is a highly discussed piece of new technology. It essentially has all capabilities of a smartphone but is entirely hands-free. Users wear the gadget like a normal pair of glasses but will see a screen projected in their line of vision, which allows them to access mobile apps. The most unique feature of this device is its video-recording capability. Google Glass can record videos from the eye level of the wearer so that recordings are all seen from the first-person perspective. Google created this feature with the intention of allowing users “Explore the World” through Google Glass.

The creators of the “Seeds” film picked up on Google’s mission statement, as the first person perspective of the film carries viewers with the man through his journey. As audience members, we feel as if we are there in the moment, experiencing the same things as the man who recorded the video in real-time, even though the video was actually filmed in advanced and edited carefully. The reasons viewers may feel this way is because how strongly “popular cultural signs and media images increasingly dominate our sense of reality, and the way we define ourselves and the world around us”(Strinati). From the postmodern perspective, media texts reflect an even wider social reality, in which people are constantly consuming, embracing and experiencing new media. Though viewers may be passively sitting and watching the video, they nevertheless feel as if they are active participants in the film.

The production of “Seeds” is unique in that it is the first film to be entirely shot with Google Glass and uses the first person point of view. This reflects another idea of postmodernism, in which traditions and conventions are largely overcome. Traditionally, from a cinematic standpoint, films are shot in third person and with a video camera. This film bypasses these conventional procedures and uses the high-tech, smartphone-like device for production, representing the start of a new era of film-making. Thus, this media text is a composite media that has no original model and is entirely unique by itself. This media text is “fragmented and eclectic, made of many texts”(in class lecture) in the way it takes elements from the traditional film world, such as having a developing story line and plot, but uses different methods of implementation, such as the first person perspective. Viewers therefore may feel “unfamiliarity in the works,” a common factor amongst postmodern works (Jameson). Additionally, this film represents a fusion between the material and immaterial, as the recordings made with Google Glass places the viewers actively in the film, allowing them to have an experience of their own.

Consequently, the messages this media text sends audience members differ. The meaning and signification is fluid, depending on the context and appeal the video may have towards the viewer. An interesting observation is that “though there’s a touch of fiction in the story, the theme has a real-life connection”(Sandoval), blurring the lines between reality and fiction.  For example, the average viewer, as evidenced on the “Seeds” video YouTube page, would leave reactionary comments such as “I loved it”(Randy Diaz), “Right in the feels. Beautiful”(Eric Guzman), and “Want one now”(Burton Lewis Jr.). Many viewers left comments stating how they could relate to the numerous activities the man in the video went through. But because of the universality of travel, the common viewer who has not been to a place like India can still sympathize with the many elements of the film.

While reception from the average viewer have been generally positive, many critiques from social media blogs have simply been focused on whether or not Google Glass will sell more because of this video ad. For example, one writer asked, “Google makes use of its Glass device to touch the hearts of the public on Mother’s Day. Would it win over the hearts of the Anti-Glass market?”(Sandoval). This captures how fluid and different the messages viewers take away from this film may be.

In the end, this film builds on experience with media because it ultimately creates the desire for the physical Google Glass device. Another interesting postmodern aspect of this film is that “in the postmodern condition it becomes more difficult to distinguish the economy from popular culture”(Strinati). The purchases people make are highly influenced by their social culture. For example, Strinati’s article states that advertising plays a more important role in deciding what we will buy. Because this video was shot with Google Glass, it is inadvertently also an advertisement for the product itself. Thus, there is a continuous link between the material and immaterial, as the film hopes to interact with viewers however promotes the physical device at the same time. Ultimately, this makes consumers walk away from this film with a positive outlook on the Google product.

Source: Excellent media blog

Inception and postmodernism

Did you ever realize you were dreaming and were able to control what happens?  Would you rather live in a dream world or reality, if you were given the opportunity? What if you were unable to tell the difference between real life and your dream?  Reality is truth but postmodernism blurs the the lines between the two.  While , postmodernism is a difficult term to simply define, some elements are key descriptors for what it represents.  A sense of hyperreality, which is a condition in which images, simulations and representations are presented as substitutes for reality, is often featured.  Fragmented or disjointed narratives, where viewers are left unsettled, confused or need to piece the narrative together on their own, are also a key component.  One of the more important cues to postmodernism is that through the use of these elements, true reality becomes blurred.  Truth becomes nearly impossible to define.  The 2010 film, Inception, successfully embodies the above-mentioned characteristics and provides a clear example of postmodernism.  The film is quite complicated to summarize, but the overall theme is about the interchange between reality and dreams and the danger of allowing your subconscious desires and intentions to surface and be seen by others.  Through a postmodern analysis I argue that Inception presents a hyperreality that forces the viewer to question what is reality while tapping into their subconscious.  Viewers are left puzzled with what is reality and what is simulation. However, a look at viewers’ response proves that these postmodern elements only boosted the films success.

The protagonist, Dom Cobb struggles to deal with personal loss and attempts to cope with reality through the creation of imaginary worlds through his dreams.  The characters all travel between reality and dreams to recreate history and memories. Cobb, entangled in espionage, discovers a way to enter other people’s dreams and plant ideas in their subconscious while extracting important information.  This tool, termed “extraction,” is how the characters gain power over individuals.  Inception is an unprecedented tactic to plant an idea in someone’s subconscious.  Cobb’s first attempted inception resulted in his wife’s death and the loss of his children. He quickly learned the dangers of manipulating one’s thoughts and exploring others’ subconscious. While experimenting with inception, both Cobb and his wife, Mal, get lost in her dreams and are unable to determine the dream from reality.  The struggle with reality ultimately leads to Mal’s suicide and Cobb’s abandonment of his children.  A powerful executive named Saito discovers Cobb’s talents and wants to utilize inception to gain power over another corporation.  Saito offers Cobb the opportunity to reunite with his children if he completes his mission. Cobb takes the offer and the rest of the film is about travelling through layers of dreams in order to plant ideas in another man’s mind.  Through this inception, Saito can take control of his rival’s company.

The layers of dreams the characters travel through are representations of one’s subconscious idea of reality.  The postmodern elements begin to flow through the dream scenes in this film.  Everything can be manipulated, from the architecture and physics to the sense of time and space.  The scenes are filled with elaborate representations of different settings around the world, from a scene in Paris, with beautiful cobblestones and ancient buildings, to a fortress on a colossal, snow-covered alpine mountain. As travel begins between these scenes, it becomes easy to forget you’re watching a dreamscape.  A hyperreality is actually what’s being presented.  Buildings begin to move, the characters can walk through mirrors and manipulate the architecture of a scene and only then we become aware that they must be dreaming.  The manipulation of time and space is another clear element throughout the film.  As Harvey argued in Strinati’s article, “Because of the speed and scope of modern mass communications, and the relative ease and rapidity with which people and information can travel, time and space become less stable and comprehensible, and more confused and incoherent” (Strinati, 2004). We learn that Mal tried to convince Cobb to permanently remain in their dreams, where they would essentially be immortal gods.  The representation of time in the dreams and reality also become so confusing, throughout the film, that viewers often can’t tell which is which.  The most important use of this fragmented narrative is at the end of the film.  Cobb is finally reunited with his children but the audience never discovers if he’s awake or still dreaming.

Another important postmodern element in this film is its use of intertextuality.  According to Sturken and Cartwright, “Postmodern media texts generally speak to viewers as subjects who are in the know about codes and conventions of representation and simulation” (316).  This holds true for this film as viewers are expected to understand references to artists, such as M.C. Escher, in the example of the Penrose stairs.  The Penrose stairs were a replication, with modifications, of a famous painting by Escher.  Intertextuality is often present as the references to other films within this film were examples of what the viewer should already be aware of.  For example, in the ski-chase scene in one of the dreams, a strong reference to the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is presented.  Another example of intertextuality is the reference to the film The Matrix that is present numerous times throughout Inception.  There are several physics bending fight scenes and a manipulation of time where the scenes turn into slow motion.  Viewers are able to reference other films while experiencing a remixed updated version of an older film, which is quite postmodern.

The viewer and critical response to Inception was quite positive.  This film presented ideas of tapping into the subconscious mind, which hadn’t been presented to a mainstream audience with such a commitment to a postmodern view before.  The concept of manipulating one’s mind through dreams is quite complicated and mind bending in and of itself.  The concept of gaining power through manipulating one’s subconscious is quite scary to imagine.

Source: Fantastic blog!

How are Twitter and Facebook Postmodern?

See slides below – from other sources.

Postmodernism – Keeping up with the Kardashians

Pastiche and Parody