Kantegger

My research is an investigation into the depiction of postcolonial and colonial discourses in global mass media since the 1970s and its influence on shaping collective memories of these issues.

Drawing from key theoretical frameworks that critique media’s representation of reality, I have focused on how simulacra stand in for the real in our modern era. With the real increasingly overshadowed by sign systems, we live in a state of simulation, where ‘copies without originals’ precede and define our reality. In a society awash with media replications, I have explored how digital mediums like television and film contribute to the creation of a hyperreal culture, where the mediated becomes so ingrained that it is indistinguishable from the actual.

With an academic foundation in journalism, media, and communication, and now advancing my studies in film, I have always been intrigued by the media’s power to shape perceptions and opinions. The burgeoning of digital media platforms has only increased the public’s exposure to information, underscoring the need for my research into how mass media influences public understanding of postcolonial and colonial legacies.

Postcolonial theory, a significant area within media studies, evolved during the 20th century as nations gained independence from colonial powers. This era of digital advancement has allowed for postcolonial ideas to be broadly shared, although they often confront existing colonial ideologies. My focus is a comparative analysis of media in several Western and postcolonial nations, examining how postcolonial and colonial themes are framed within news and film.

Previously, I analyzed media framing of international conflicts, observing that different media landscapes adopt varying narrative styles. This work, part of my undergraduate project and later published, forms the basis for my current research. I now aim to apply and extend this analytical model to media content from the past five decades, scrutinizing how postcolonial and colonial discourses are portrayed in the news media of six countries.

The cinematic aspect of my research builds on prior analysis of popular films. I will apply the same discourse analysis model to a broader selection of films to assess how they depict postcolonial and colonial narratives. Additionally, I plan to conduct audience response studies to determine the impact of these narratives.

This research aims to synthesize a comprehensive understanding of media’s role in influencing perceptions of colonial history. It will examine trends in the portrayal of postcolonialism and colonialism across different media, contributing to the development of postcolonial studies within the field of media analysis.

In my undergraduate thesis, I delved into the war and peace journalism paradigms as they apply to the portrayal of international relations, particularly focusing on the US-China dynamic. Utilizing framing analysis, I uncovered a tendency for American media to adopt a war journalism approach, while Chinese media leaned towards peace journalism narratives. This study was not only an academic exercise but also a publication endeavor, contributing to the broader discourse on media influence in international politics.

My current graduate pursuit in Film Studies is an extension of this fascination with media’s narrative power. The rise of new digital platforms, including the likes of microblogging and video-sharing websites, has expanded the pathways through which the public engages with news and entertainment, shaping perceptions in unprecedented ways. This digital revolution in media delivery and consumption compels a more in-depth look into the ways postcolonial and colonial issues are presented and perceived in the contemporary landscape.

The focus on postcolonial theory, rooted in the intellectual groundwork laid by theorists in the mid-20th century, gains new relevance in the digital age. As the world witnessed a shift from colonial governance to more autonomous national structures, digital technologies emerged as a key vehicle for propagating postcolonial discourse, sometimes clashing with the remnants of colonial thought. My research includes a media content analysis spanning Western and non-Western nations, with a particular emphasis on how digital advancements have influenced the dissemination and reception of postcolonial and colonial narratives.

This analytical pursuit extends into the realm of cinema, where blockbuster films serve as a cultural barometer for societal values and ideologies. My earlier work on popular cinematic franchises laid the groundwork for a comparative study that I now wish to broaden. By applying a systematic model to analyze postcolonial and colonial discourses within these films, I aim to illuminate the subtleties of how such narratives are woven into the fabric of global entertainment.

The methodological approach of my research is both quantitative and qualitative, reflecting the multifaceted nature of media studies. For the news media analysis, I will segment the past five decades into ten distinct periods, selecting influential international affairs coverage for detailed examination. This approach will yield a comprehensive dataset of 3000 news items, encompassing both broadcast and print media from a variety of outlets. In the digital era’s last decade, I will pay particular attention to the sources of news, tracing the evolution of digital platforms’ influence.

Adopting a refined set of parameters inspired by established journalistic paradigms, my objective is to quantitatively capture the essence of Postcolonial and Colonial Discourse within these news narratives. This will involve a critical discourse analysis, teasing out the nuances in how different values, ideologies, and cultural implications are presented through media.

The culmination of this extensive media analysis is not merely academic; it is intended to be a practical exploration of the relationship between media and public consciousness. By integrating a supplementary experimental study on audience responses, similar to notable experiments in media reception studies, I aim to empirically test the impact of Postcolonial and Colonial Discourse on perceptions of colonialism and postcolonialism.

My journey through the landscapes of journalism, media, and film has been a pursuit of understanding how media shapes our reality. As I embark on this ambitious project, my goal is to contribute meaningful insights into the role of mass media in representing and influencing collective memories and opinions on colonial and postcolonial issues. This research is not just about analyzing trends; it’s about understanding the development of postcolonial studies through the lens of media representation, offering a critical contribution to the field and potentially guiding future discourse.

By bridging the gap between past and present, between colonial legacies and postcolonial realities, this study seeks to shed light on the complex interplay of media narratives in shaping our understanding of history and ourselves. It is through this lens that I wish to contribute to the academic community and, by extension, to the broader societal understanding of these pivotal issues.