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White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613784360615936 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Pearse, Thomas Roy |
| author2 | Costandius, Elmarie |
| author_browse | Costandius, Elmarie Pearse, Thomas Roy |
| author_facet | Costandius, Elmarie Pearse, Thomas Roy |
| author_sort | Pearse, Thomas Roy |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124015 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:38.867Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/124015 White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film Pearse, Thomas Roy Costandius, Elmarie Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Art. South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- White people -- South Africa -- Race identity Foreign films Caucasian race -- Intercultural communication -- Race identy Cultural pluralism UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the context of ‘identity’, much attention has been given to academic considerations of diversity, or the lack thereof, in the international film industry. While this is positive, there is much opportunity in this field for researchers to consider the iterations of identity which do exist and are emphasised through this global medium. This study takes advantage of this opportunity, critically unpacking and discussing the nature of the representation of white South African identity in international popular and visual culture, namely film, in order to better understand how such representations can influence identity construction and perception in a post-apartheid context on a global scale. Therefore, a consideration of texts (films) which communicate a white South African identity was conducted in this study. The unpacking of these texts, their inherent identities and the theorisation of their roles in the construction of an overarching white South African identity through this medium, was informed by a theoretical framework of identity, representation, gender theories, visual culture, media psychology and the narratology of Roland Barthes. Social identity formation involves the definition of one’s self in relationship to the defined identities of others, informed by a consumption of the world around you. Academically, pedagogically or otherwise, this indicates an importance in considering the signs and symbols which constantly communicate and construct identity through the visual narratives which we consume, like that which this thesis dissects. This study is an explorative study which aims to unpack patterns of representation in popular and visual culture in order to define the nature of a white South African identity being perpetuated internationally. Therefore, a qualitative research approach was used in this study when analysing the texts explored, unpacking the nature, characteristics and behaviours of applicable characters in order to define overarching patterns of identity. This study focusses specifically on white South African identity communicated through narratives in film, as this identity is contextually relevant to me as a white South African academic in a contemporary, and globally interconnected, world. However, what is explored here is not only relevant to those who share this identity. This research is applicable to anyone who consumes internationally tailored media which communicate identities to its audience. This study shows that the majority of the most proliferated and popular texts including this identity aid in constructing an identity which is overarchingly male and evil. Female examples tend to oppose such a characterisation of this identity but are dwarfed in amount and popularity by the male examples which control the formation and communication of this identity. Such a theorisation was based on extensive discussion of texts which present this identity to a South African and international audience. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die konteks van ‘identiteit’ word aansienlike aandag gegee aan akademiese ontledings van diversiteit, of die gebrek daaraan, in die internasionale rolprentbedryf. Alhoewel dit bemoedigend is, is daar talle geleenthede op hierdie gebied vir navorsers om ondersoek in te stel na die bestaande voorstellings van identiteit wat deur hierdie globale medium beklemtoon word. Hierdie studie het van hierdie geleentheid gebruik gemaak aan die hand van ʼn kritiese ondersoek na en bespreking van die aard van die voorstelling van wit Suid-Afrikaanse identiteit in internasionale populêre en visuele kultuur, naamlik rolprente, ten einde beter begrip te verkry van die manier waarop hierdie voorstelling identiteitskonstruksie en - persepsie in ʼn postapartheidkonteks op globale skaal kan beïnvloed. Tekste (rolprente) wat ʼn wit Suid- Afrikaanse identiteit kommunikeer, is dus in hierdie studie ondersoek. Die ontleding van hierdie tekste, hul inherente identiteite en die teoretisering van hul rolle in die konstruksie van ʼn algehele wit Suid-Afrikaanse identiteit deur hierdie medium is gerig deur ʼn teoretiese raamwerk van identiteit, voorstelling, genderteorieë, visuele kultuur, mediasielkunde en die narratologie van Roland Barthes. Die vorming van sosiale identiteit behels die definiëring van jouself in verhouding tot die gedefinieerde identiteite van ander, gerig deur verbruik van die omliggende wêreld. Hetsy op akademiese, pedagogiese of ander wyse, dui dit op die belang van inagneming van die tekens en simbole wat deurlopend identiteit deur die visuele narratiewe wat ons verbruik kommunikeer en saamstel, soos in hierdie tesis ontleed. Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om patrone van voorstelling in populêre en visuele kultuur te identifiseer ten einde die aard van ʼn internasionaal bestendigde wit Suid-Afrikaanse identiteit te definieer. ʼn Kwalitatiewe navorsingbenadering is dus gebruik in die ontleding van die tekste asook die aard, kenmerke en gedrag van toepaslike karakters ter definiëring van oorkoepelende patrone van identiteit. Die studie het spesifiek gefokus op wit Suid-Afrikaanse identiteit wat deur narratiewe in rolprente gekommunikeer word, aangesien hierdie identiteit kontekstueel toepaslik is vir my as ʼn wit Suid-Afrikaanse akademikus in ʼn moderne, internasionaal verbonde wêreld. Die studie is egter nie net toepaslik op diegene met ʼn ooreenstemmende identiteit nie; die navorsing is ook van toepassing op enige verbruiker van internasionale pasgemaakte media wat identiteite aan hul gehore kommunikeer. Die studie toon dat die meerderheid populêre tekste wat hierdie identiteit insluit, bydra tot die konstruksie van ʼn identiteit wat oorheersend manlik en boos is. Vrouevoorbeelde is in die algemeen die teenoorgestelde van hierdie karakterisering, maar word met betrekking tot hoeveelheid en populariteit deur die mansvoorbeelde, wat die vorming en kommunikasie van hierdie identiteit beheer, oorskadu. Sodanige teoretisering is gegrond op ʼn omvattende bespreking van tekste wat hierdie identiteit aan ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse en ʼn internasionale gehoor voorhou. Masters 2021-11-30T10:05:26Z 2021-12-22T14:35:00Z 2021-11-30T10:05:26Z 2021-12-22T14:35:00Z 2021-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124015 en_ZA Stellenbosch University vii, 68 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- White people -- South Africa -- Race identity Foreign films Caucasian race -- Intercultural communication -- Race identy Cultural pluralism UCTD Pearse, Thomas Roy White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film |
| title | White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film |
| title_full | White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film |
| title_fullStr | White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film |
| title_full_unstemmed | White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film |
| title_short | White on the silver screen: the construction of white South African identity in international film |
| title_sort | white on the silver screen the construction of white south african identity in international film |
| topic | South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994- White people -- South Africa -- Race identity Foreign films Caucasian race -- Intercultural communication -- Race identy Cultural pluralism UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124015 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pearsethomasroy whiteonthesilverscreentheconstructionofwhitesouthafricanidentityininternationalfilm |