Paul Gilroy - blog task

Paul Gilroy - blog task

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

He argues that racial identities are historically constructed. 

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

He suggests that racism was historically constructed formed by things such as colonisation, slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalism. 

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. Gilroy is opposed to ethnic absolutism as it is counter to his argument that racism causes race.

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

"External and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation"; which related to the idea that Black Britons were often outsiders in society and felt like they didn't have a sense of belonging.

6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

The negative effects include exclusion: being exposed to regressive ideologies and marginalisation. 

7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

Diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity in many ways. They may use the media to read news and stay aware of what is happening in their home country and also to watch movies or series that originate from their home country e.g. Netflix series or movies as they offer foreign languages or ones set in different countries.

8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

He suggests that there will always be diaspora because of the impact that slavery has had and we cannot go back to the time before slavery existed. 

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

Although they have citizenship and legally have rights, sometimes they may feel like this isn't being carried out and a sense of unfairness towards them. 

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.

The film challenges negative stereotypes of black American women as they were working for one of the most respected jobs with high academic skills and especially in the time the film was set, you'd mostly only see a male as the breadwinner going to work hard in big fields which is another stereotype they challenged.