Identity and the Media

Quote of the Day: Benedict Anderson Modern identities are inseparable from the structures of the media CC: 391
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The Search for Identity

Early history of media associates the emergence of newspapers and radio with Nationalism Most regimes have strongly nationalistic or nationally oriented and local media content and systems Through the media, like education, citizens build self, social and political identities
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Identity
Defines the In group or out group
Defines me versus them Us versus them

What is the same:

sameness, oneness,shared values Boundary setting for inclusion

What is different: other

Differences, distinctions: boundary setting for exclusion

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Identity Politics
Favouritism towards ones own group: ethnocentrism Prejudice against other groups: racism

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Layers of Identity
Self Identity Social Identity Political Identity
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Self Identity
Your life history Explains why you do something, who you want to be, and what you can do about advancing your interests May be personal style, personal peer and family identity ( notion of primary group) Commercial systems good at delivering consumer identity menus
Role models, ideals, lifestyle aspirations

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New Ideas about Identity

Refute notion of identity as fixed, universal or essential Sees TV as a major resource for the construction of cultural identities within the lived experience of everyday life Accessible to virtually everybody Site of popular knowledge
Identity in continual contest and construction

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Social Identity
Associated with the rights,obligations and sanctions you enjoy in your social roles Usual markers are age, sex, race ( immutable social markers) Primordial realms: immediate community of work or living Increasingly involving social causes/missions Media are resources in finding social identities:
eg role assimilationsome systems recognize this and compel private broadcasters to monitor guidelines for social portrayal
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National Political Identity

Deutsch:
A nation must interact more often internally than externally to remain politically cohesive

Media flows should promote national ID

Contribute to the sharing of basic values and beliefs ( cognitive and rational) A Sense of Attachment to Place( emotional)

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Media and Political Identity

Central to political socialization ( learning to be a citizen) Convey information about basic citizens rights and responsibilities Provide data on which to base democratic decisions Transmit /Promote basic national symbols

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Political Identity contd

Create climate of political trust/alienation:
political and consumer confidence in the economy, in foreign policy

Now an arena where political controversy is channeled:

representative presence in media is key to political enfranchisement

The Paradox: never more media, but never more decline in voter engagement
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Media and Political Identity 2

Most systems regulate election broadcasting due to the importance to political choice and identity building Only public broadcasting systems make explicit the role of the CBC in promoting political identity: a national consciousness
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Nationalist Politics
Nationalism/Chauvinism Defined
Nationalism: devotion to ones nation; an ideology Synonym: patriotism The doctrine that national interests are more important than international interests The desire for or advocacy of national independence or autonomy

Chauvinism: excessive, narrow or jingoistic patriotism

Militant, unreasoning and unqualified devotion to ones country Fanatical devotion with contempt for others

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Nationalism 2
Focuses on the special/different/ history BUT Tendency to seek true Aryan character: true American or true Canadian character may be fascist in orientation ( essentialism is to be distrusted) Nationalism/19th century tied identity to mobilization of empire and mercantilism economic and political expansion Tendency to see ID as singular, homogenous, stable and monolithic But this undercuts modern immigrant reality and the political economy of nationalism

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Canadian National Identity

Political Culture Political Communication

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Political Culture
Historical Fragment Theory
Hartz: posits a political culture grows out of the fragment which leaves the imperial centre In Canada: a tory fragment: not a revolutionary past Settled by United Empire Loyalists Emphasis on Peace Order and Good Government
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Political Culture 2
Linguistic: Official History of Quebec and the Rest of Canada Waves of Constitutional Reconciliation: a Distinct Society of language and culture? Reflected in Canadas Official Languages Act

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Political Culture 3
Racial: aboriginal: constitutional right to autonomy, and land claims ceded after a century: Delmanuukw and then white; white euro then other/people of colour in waves of immigration Recognized by Canadas Multiculturalism Act

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Political Communication
Two solitudes of media systems: Radio Canada and CBC rarely collaborate on news, and subtitles not wide ( breakthrough Tough Cop Bon Cop?) English elite press rarely cover French news or vice versa But, Quebec media system is hotly competitive and rich: francophones outside of Quebec struggle to get access to their stories in the media Third Language Media: private sector, not well known or state supported: third solitude
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Myths about Canadian Cultural Identity

Defined against the US/ British or French fragments Seen as hybridized, hyphenated: French Canadian, English Canadian, Immigrant Canadian, Aboriginal Canadian Seen as regionalized Western, Eastern or central Canadian Increasingly seen not as bicultural but more as multicultural

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Other Defining Markers

NOT American ( the rant) NOT nationalistic ( no anthem in schools) MORE deferential to authority (Garrison versus Frontier mentality) MORE public enterprise culture (rail, universal health care, education, CBC) GO BETWEEN:
international peace-keeper, trusted intermediary,--history of land mines treaty: self image of a kinder, gentler peoples

Not Mono cultural: bilingual and multicultural( mosaic versus melting pot)
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Jokes
As Canadian as possible under the circumstances Not nationalistic enough:
An American, a Scot and a Canuk were in a terrible car accident. They were all brought to the same emergency room, but all three of them died before they arrived. Just as they were about to put the toe tag on the American, he stirred and opened his eyes. Astonished, the doctors and nurses present asked him what happened.

"Well," said the American, "I remember the crash, and then there was a beautiful light, and then the Canadian and the Scot and I were standing at the gates of heaven. St. Peter approached us and said that we were all too young to die, and that for a donation of $100, we could return to the earth."
He continued, " So of course, I pulled out my wallet and gave him the $100, and the next thing I knew I was back here." "That's amazing!" said one of the doctors, "But what happened to the other two?" "Last I saw them," replied the American, "the Scot was haggling over the price and the Canadian was waiting for the government to pay for his.

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Jokes 2
How many Canadians does it take to change a lightbulb A : None. Canadians don't change light bulbs, we accept them as they are

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Multiculturalism
Defined as fact: 50% today claim non British non-French ancestry; 12% visible minorities As Ideology: Multicultural Act, equality rights in Charter: notion of inclusiveness, unity in diversity; cultural differences not disparaged: tolerance valued ( Hate criminalised) As Policy: Human Rights legislation, affirmative action or equity rights in employment in public agencies: funding of ethnic cultural practices; celebrating diversity As Critical Discourse: criticised as bandaid measure which keeps white majority dominant ( eg: Fleras, Tator and Henry et al) Rationalised in a coherent whole
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Race and Identity

See Film by Stuart Hall: a prominent British cultural analyst, and leading thinker in international cultural studies.

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New Theories of Identity

Multiple ( as citizen, buyer,as Cbinese, as Canadian, as university student, as worker) Hybrid ( fusion of generational identity of immigrants) ( not simple assimilation) Rationalised in a coherent whole

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Media and Racism

Framing of race Stereotyping of race Exclusion of race in board rooms and senior management Ghettoization of race: ethnic broadcasting ( third language TV for a fee and pay per service basis unlike aborginal TV etc)
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Stereotyping
Having no individuality: as though cast from a mold Literally: in printing, the development of a type metal cast for multiple reproduction Socially: a mental pattern or image label which simplifies and generalises about a people or minority or trait Short hand: a way of simplifying complexity

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Stereotyping 2
Categorical: ignores differences among individuals of the out group
Found to be more prevalent among those or with: No interpersonal relationships to refute stereotypes Those with less formal education Less travel, less gregarious out group experimentation ( some studies suggest related to low self esteem, conservative/authoritarian personalities)

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Types of Stereotyping
Overt: few faces and characters on screen are visible minorities Of those represented, mostly in news, low budget genres Where represented: Kung Fu ( the Bruce Lee syndrome) presented in narrow, clich roles Covert: exclusion is interpreted to reflect lack of power: minority status affirmative action now 30 years behind feminist movement
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Dimensions of Cohesive National Identity

Sense of belongingness-isolation Inclusiveness-exclusiveness Participation-non-participation Recognition-rejection Legitimacy-illegitimacy

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Theoretical Problems I
Collective identities are not natural but constructed
See Custom Courseware, 392 Thus, they reflect particular power relations in a given epoch Globalization threatens national identities: the Fragmentation of popular media threatens collectivism
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Theoretical Problems @
If the primary vehicles for identity or the formation of cultural tastes are the media and popular culture ( say music) They feature distinction-- difference--but strip it of social and political meaning to sell CC 390

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Theoretical Problems II
Assimilation or Diversity? Unity in Diversity? Community of Communities? What provides the glue for a disparate peoples? What provides the glue, the code or protocol for peaceful co-existence? The Media both reflect and produce this glue Conversely the media control stereotypes of reputation/cultural character which may include or exclude
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Canadian Popular Culture

National popular culture increasingly mediated through a global one Mondo Canuck: Rant

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Travelling Canadians
1 in 2 Canadians have passports in 2007 ( 2 X the number of Americans) Canada has one of the highest rates of immigration: 250 K a year ( adding a mid size city the size of Calgary every 4-5 years) 7-10% of students study out of province Born out of province: 33% in have provinces

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Canadian Values
Levels of attachment to Canada increasing
Highest level of belonging in world values study Economic and cultural security the biggest predictors of positive sense of belonging

Except in Quebec: Strongest sense of belonging:

Family (95%) Canada (81%) Community (74%) Ethnic Group (55%)

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Values contd
Where belong first:
- Country - Pride: unchanged in 15 years - Cosmopolitan ID increasing: local decreasing - Canadians support (70%) principles of multiculturalism, even higher majority supports Hate legislation
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Canadian identity Contd

- Strongest sense of attachment is in older, less secure anglophones who mourn a past Canada - Weaker among secure,younger and agile portions of society - Views on government interact with identity - Elites attach more value to economic- material factors in conditional identity than do general public ( checkbook nationalists)

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STUDY TIP
- Look up the rant:
- http://www.coolcanuckaward.ca/joe_canadi an.htm

- Decode I Am Canadian
- Custom Courseware 364-370

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Perceptions of National Identity

- World Values study - Book entitled How Canadian Connect(1998) - There is a distinct Canadian identity
- 47% agree - 40% disagree there is no majority view of an imagined Canadian community - Paradoxically, 83% agree Canadian culture is something we can take pride in

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Cultural Industries and Canadian Identity

- Strong sense of awareness, pride and attachment to: authors, popular musicians, local news ,CBC radio etc - Low awareness and cultural preference for Canadian TV drama
- 2/3 of french viewing is to Canadian shows - 1/3 of english viewing is to Canadian
- 12% of all entertainment - 18 of top 20 shows all American - English Canada is the only TV market in the world where local citizens do not prefer local product

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Canadian vs. US TV Practices

Watch 30% less TV 5 times more likely to watch a public/non-commercial broadcaster Higher tolerance for complex info
Watch more news: less infotainment West wing/Law and Order:SVU high end US shows Watch Canadian first in
News Sports Comedy

Greater Participation: phone ins etc.

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Canadian Creators
Protected through legislation On the assumption we need to protect freedom of Canadian expression if the market cannot provide it

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The Broadcasting Act (1991)

- The Canadian Broadcasting System will serve to safeguard enrich and strengthen the cultural, political social and economic fabric of Canada
- Each element will contribute to the creation and presentation of Canadian programs - Each.. Make Maximum use and no less than predominant use of Canadian creative resources

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Canadian Content Quota

- Requires 60% overall and 50% CANCON in prime time - Quota is a Make Jobs program:
- Its definitions revolved around citizenship of the writer, producer, technical crews etc. shooting the series

- The Quota is not a qualitative one: requiring distinctively creative stories

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Other Regulations
- Restrict foreign ownership
- Disallow spending on ads in US border media

- ALL TO INCREASE ACCESS TO CANADIAN CHOICES/VVOICES/ PRODUCT ON SHELF SPACE

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Track Record of TV in CANCON

Internationally recognized news, sports Animation/sci fi and special effects Kids Documentaries and Docudrama Popular MOWs ( Anne of Avonlea, Sheldon Kennedy Story)
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Track Record Contd

- Still no Home Run series internationally ( CSI) - Still no star system - Domestically: DaVincis, Bob and Margaret , Corner Gas among the best - But less than 12% of drama we watch is Canadian ( versus 66% in most other countries)

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 assumes that a continuous flow of cultural products from the US will cultivate American views British study of students found high school students believed they should be read their rights if arrested for marijuana possession but Britain has no Constitution
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The Cultural Sovereignty/Imperialism Thesis

Problems with the Imperialism Thesis

pretty primitive stimulus response model in essence, predicated on a passive mass audience concept held that traditional cultures would fall under modernization great global village would emerge BUT
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Problems 2
it is found, in most countries OUTSIDE OF ENGLISH CANADA, despite a marked popularity of American popular TV and films, there is a cultural affinity for local, indigenous product that is, given a choice, European or Latin American, or South Asian audiences prefer local entertainment new centres of TV production surfacing: Britain, Brazil, Calcutta

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Questions about the Global Village

Never more of a crisis than today Liberals fear September 11 2001 has set back international understanding: led to a new cold war among muslim and other countries McLuhans thinking about the Global Village now challenged Jihad or McWorld Are we growing together or apart? Do we respect other cultures or fear them? Is cultural identity nostalgic to be kept pure-- or adaptive: enlarged and enriched through intermixture? The Media often frame these questions Out of Zone: act as blinders, reductionists, fan the flame of incomprehension

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Definition of Globalization
Refers to space/time compression Intensification of consciousness of the world Characterized by:
World capitalism Nation state system/global governance World military order Global information system

Are global and local mutually constituting?

Eg: global spread of capitalism encourages rising expectations:limitless wants and pleasures of constant identity transformation which cannot be satisfied and leads to economic conflict (Barker:41) What is Canadas emerging role?

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STUDY QUESTIONS

NAME THREE STEREOTYPES ABOUT CANADIAN IDENTITY WHAT ROLE DO THE MEDIA PLAY IN PROMOTING CANADIAN IDENTITY? CAN A NATION SURVIVE WITHOUT ANY INDIGENOUS MEDIA?

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