The notes from the lesson are here:
Marxism
In Britain and Europe, Marxist approaches were common amongst media theorists from the late 1960s until around the early 1980s, and Marxist influences, though less dominant, remain widespread.
Marxist theorists tend to emphasize the role of the mass media in maintaining the status quo, suggesting power is concentrated in the hands of a narrow elite.
In contrast, Marxists view capitalist society as being one of class domination; the media are seen to promote hegemonic ideology and ensure the dominance of certain classes; ultimate control is increasingly concentrated in wealthy corporations/media conglomerates; media professionals, while enjoying the illusion of autonomy, are socialized into and internalize the norms of the dominant culture.
This represents not only political and economic control, but also the ability of the dominant class to project its own way of seeing the world so that those who are controlled by it accept it as 'common sense' and 'natural'. Commentators stress that this involves willing and active consent.
Marxism & hegemony: blog tasks
Mail Online review of Capital
1) Re-read the Mail Online review of Capital. Why does it suggest that Capital features a left-wing ideology?
2) Choose three quotes from the review that are particularly critical of Capital and paste them into your blogpost. Do you agree with the criticisms? Why?
3) What scenes or characters from Capital could be read as promoting left-wing ideology?
4) What about the other side of the argument - are there any aspects of Capital that reinforce the status quo in capitalist London?
Media Magazine feature on BBC drama The Casual Vacancy and ideology
Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature 'The Beeb, The Mail and JKR' in MM53 (page 20). This focuses on the politics of The Casual Vacancy, another BBC three-part drama based on a book by JK Rowling.
Answer the questions below:
1) Why did the Daily Mail suggest The Casual Vacancy promoted a left-wing ideology?
2) How does the article suggest characters, narrative and setting are used to promote a left-wing ideology?
3) What research is quoted regarding BBC bias and what did it find? Do you think the BBC is biased?
4) Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggests people are kept under control through active consent - the control of 'common sense'. How could you apply the Daily Mail or the BBC to the idea of hegemony and dominant ideologies in the UK media?
Complete for homework - due next Wednesday.
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