Postcolonialism

 

Postcolonial theory suggests that many representations in modern media are rooted in the colonial past. Britain (and other European powers) struggled to deal with their loss of empire in the middle of the 20th century. Following this, representations in the media often highlighted a eurocentric worldview, emphasizing white dominance over 'others'.

The British stereotyped themselves as: Civilised, Well spoken, White, Polite, Elitism, Strong military, Idyllic rural countryside.

In Harry Potter, the Hogwarts Express is always shown going through beautiful, natural landscapes.

This is often contrasted with negative representation of populations from ex-colonies and minority groups. These 'others' are portrayed as: weak, dehumanised, marginalised, mysterious, strange, exotic.

In this 2019 British advert for Yakult, Japanese culture is represented as exotic, mystical and strange. This conforms to postcolonial ideals of 'others'

Eurocentric - The belief that the European culture is superior to all others

Ethnocentric - The belief that the one culture is superior to all others

Double consciousness - the internal conflict experienced by subordinated or colonized groups in an oppressive society.

Othering - the practice of representing and defining the colonized natives as inferior to their European counterparts.

Paul Gilroy - a sociologist who contributed to the postcolonial theory

When should I use this theory?

This theory can be very useful when talking about any question related to representation, in particular ETHNICITY. You should choose a case study and discuss whether it conforms to or subverts the traditional way of thinking (or at least similar media texts)

Bridgerton (2020) is produced by the Amercian company Shondaland. It is an excellent example of a text that subverts traditional roles of different ethnic groups as it features many people of colour as members of the British aristocracy and upper class. Paul Gilroy's  Postcolonial theory suggests that these roles are usually saved for the white British cast, like in many other British period dramas from the same time (Downton Abbey, The Crown). These are more historically accurate with their representation of society at the time. Bridgerton, by contrast, has a mix of ethnicities playing various characters from different ends of the social spectrum. The show does, however, also conform to other aspects of postcolonial theory, such as British elitism and portrayals of an idyllic countryside.