1. The Representation of
Ethnicity in the Media
AS Media Studies
MS1: Representations and Responses

2. Definition
• ethnicity (n) a term which represents social groups
with a shared history, sense of identity, geography
and cultural roots which may occur despite racial
difference
This is very different from race which is defined
below:
• race (n) a human population considered distinct
based on physical characteristics.

3. Activity
• How many TV programmes can you list
that focus on a main character of an
ethnic minority background (e.g.. Non
white-British)?
• Do you feel the British population is
being represented fairly or realistically?

4. Multicultural Britain
• 4.6 million people in UK are from ethnic
minority backgrounds.
• 7.9% of total population.
• Over half this are from Asian backgrounds.
• One quarter of this number are from Black
heritage.
• Of the total number of ethnic minority people,
5.3% are Chinese and 5% from other ethnic
backgrounds.

5. • 40 million people characterise themselves as
white-Christian.
• 815,000 black Christians, 353,000 mixed
race Christians.
• Second largest religion is Islam. 686,000
Pakistani Muslims.
• 471,000 Indian Hindus, 307,000 Indian Sikhs,
261,000 Bangladeshi Muslims, 259,000
White Jews.
• 45% of ethnic minorities live in London.

6. a)Black
b)Middle Eastern/Asian Heritage
c)Far Eastern- Chinese etc…
d)Polish

7. Ethnic & Racial Stereotypes
• People of Black Origin:
Historically Black actors were most
commonly associated with light
entertainment and humour.
• Stereotypes arising from Hollywood
– Uncle Tom and Aunt Jemima roles.
(remnants of America’s history of
slavery and apartheid)
• The ‘black mammie’ in Tom &
Jerry further enforces this
stereotype.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=G0apku0rPLw
• The Sambo Stereotype:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myb-

8. Black Stereotypes
• For many years the traditional stereotypes
continued with black actors being cast as
blue collar workers and other secondary
characters.
• This use of ethnic minority actors in this way
is known as tokenism.
• Tokenism is where members of a minority
group are included in a text, usually creating
a false appearance of inclusive practices,
intentional or not. E.g.. purposely including a
member of a minority race (such as a black
character in a mainly white cast, or vice
versa) into a group.

9. Black Stereotypes
• However, more positively, we have also become
accustomed to seeing black people as successful
athletes.
• But of course the problem
with these Representations is that black people have far
more diverse talents
than just those these
stereotypes suggest!

10. Black Stereotypes
• Criminals/Black Gangsters
• Recently, however, due to the
increase in reporting of gang
related crime, young black
people have been
associated with knife and
gun crime and are frequently
cast as criminals.
• The rise in popularity of
American Hip Hop music has
also spread the stereotype of
young black men as
gangsters.

11. Challenging the Stereotypes
• More Positive Representations:
• President Obama:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=CuwQsY_EBzU
• Will Smith:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=s0f3JeDVeEo

12. Middle Eastern origin
• Like other ethnic minority groups in the UK, many
people of middle eastern origin are frequently
represented as …
• blue collar workers – shop-workers/owners, cab
drivers etc... (Main stereotype)
• This stereotype most likely originates from old
colonialist views which placed white British
people as superior and elite compared to those “from
the colonies”.
• Also, when many immigrants from this part of the
world began to arrive in the UK seeking employment,
many found job opportunities in the service area.
• As with other minority groups in British TV, middle
eastern actors were frequently cast in servile roles
with the focus of drama being on the experiences of
white-British.

13. Middle Eastern Origin
• Other common stereotypes of people
from middle eastern backgrounds are:
• Studious and well-educated – Jobs
as scientists or Dr’s.
• Family-oriented.
• Patriarchal , traditional and
misogynist – reinforced by recent
headlines and TV drama storylines
about honour killings and forced
marriages.
• These stereotypes are the result of the
clash between western and eastern
cultures and religions, with the
dominant view (the western view)
taking precedence in media texts.

14. Islamophobia
• Since the events of 9/11 there
has been a growth in
‘Islamophobia’– an irrational
fear of Muslims as people bent
on imposing their religious and
political views on the rest of
society.
• Media texts have
perpetuated this negative
stereotype through the use of
crude and exaggerated
stereotypes.
• Stereotype: Asian people as
terrorists and villains.

15. Far Eastern Origin
• People from the Far East
are difficult to find in
British TV drama.
• General stereotypes within
the media as a whole
include:
• Computer experts/techies
– almost always exclusively
Japanese and featured in
Sci-Fi.
• However, this ethnic group is
frequently absent from TV
drama!

16. Other minority groups in the
UK
• Eastern Europeans (E.g. Polish) – whilst many people from
eastern Europe now live in the UK, they remain under-
represented in British TV drama.
• Recently, both Coronation Street & Eastenders featured Polish
workers as a cheap labour. Their roles, however, were limited
to little more than extras, barely even a ‘token’ representation of
this group!
• Their cultural difference and heritage
remains untouched upon.
• Whilst Corrie has one Polish
character, her role is limited to
factory worker– another classic
example of tokenism.

17. Extracts & Analysis
• View the following extracts and for each,
answer the questions below:
• What stereotypes are being used?
• Are they positive or negative? Why?
• Is this representation progressive or
regressive? I.e. Does it move the
representation of this ethnic group forward in
any way or just regress back to the limited
stereotypes of the past?