Film Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue : Focus on Cultural Representation
Glotov, Sergei (2023)
Tampere University
2023
Viestinnän, median ja teatterin tohtoriohjelma - Doctoral Programme in Communication, Media and Theatre
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Väitöspäivä
2023-03-31
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2771-2
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-03-2771-2
Tiivistelmä
Audio-visual media such as films, series and online videos have become increasingly accessible over the past few years because technological advancements and the COVID-19 pandemic that locked us indoors but connected us online. On top of being a source of entertainment that provides various emotions, these media also quite often offer insights into foreign cultures, people, spaces, customs and general ways of living. With audio-visual media consuming an increased amount of our time, more audiences can be exposed to various cultural representations.
Unfortunately, when it comes to cultural representation, the media continuously relies on stereotypes or focuses only on a few basic and vivid characteristics, simplifying people and cultures because it offers familiar codes to the larger audiences and eases media production. Nevertheless, there have been calls for developing a critical attitude towards such a cultural misrepresentation because its continuous use may promote racist and nationalist views.
The aim of this dissertation is to address cultural misrepresentation within audio-visual media by a) reconceptualising film literacy to address the recent changes in media production and consumption and b) linking film literacy with intercultural education that can support open and respectful intercultural dialogue between people of different cultural backgrounds. Hence, the idea of intercultural film literacy education is introduced as the link between film literacy and intercultural education and then conceptualised and developed over the course of four different studies.
Based on the findings, the concept of film literacy is broadened to include audio-visual social media, such as YouTube and TikTok, and the development of a critical attitude towards this form of media consumption, while the concept of intercultural education is argued to move beyond nation-based cultures towards LGBTQ+ people and their experiences. At the same time, the findings reveal the need to promote the discussion of cultural representation in open educational resources while also making these resources accessible for teachers worldwide. The dissertation also suggests six practical solutions for teaching intercultural film literacy education: inspiring cultural exchange and dialogue, reflecting on one’s own culture, analysing cultural representation, discussing the nature of filmmaking, embracing global cultural context and discussing the role of algorithms.
Overall, the research advocates for looking closely at the messages of cultural representation we receive from audio-visual media and being critical and reflective about them, by studying how these messages are created and broadcasted, as well as challenging them through intercultural dialogue and the actual experiences of other people.
Unfortunately, when it comes to cultural representation, the media continuously relies on stereotypes or focuses only on a few basic and vivid characteristics, simplifying people and cultures because it offers familiar codes to the larger audiences and eases media production. Nevertheless, there have been calls for developing a critical attitude towards such a cultural misrepresentation because its continuous use may promote racist and nationalist views.
The aim of this dissertation is to address cultural misrepresentation within audio-visual media by a) reconceptualising film literacy to address the recent changes in media production and consumption and b) linking film literacy with intercultural education that can support open and respectful intercultural dialogue between people of different cultural backgrounds. Hence, the idea of intercultural film literacy education is introduced as the link between film literacy and intercultural education and then conceptualised and developed over the course of four different studies.
Based on the findings, the concept of film literacy is broadened to include audio-visual social media, such as YouTube and TikTok, and the development of a critical attitude towards this form of media consumption, while the concept of intercultural education is argued to move beyond nation-based cultures towards LGBTQ+ people and their experiences. At the same time, the findings reveal the need to promote the discussion of cultural representation in open educational resources while also making these resources accessible for teachers worldwide. The dissertation also suggests six practical solutions for teaching intercultural film literacy education: inspiring cultural exchange and dialogue, reflecting on one’s own culture, analysing cultural representation, discussing the nature of filmmaking, embracing global cultural context and discussing the role of algorithms.
Overall, the research advocates for looking closely at the messages of cultural representation we receive from audio-visual media and being critical and reflective about them, by studying how these messages are created and broadcasted, as well as challenging them through intercultural dialogue and the actual experiences of other people.
Kokoelmat
- Väitöskirjat [4848]