The Role and Representation of Women in Gypsy and Traveller Lifestyle - Research Paper Example

1.0 Introduction The role of gypsy women in the media is one which is continuously changing, specifically as it builds stereotypes and expectations with this group of individuals. The TV based sources are now taking different roles with the identity of Gypsy women, as seen through movies and productions such as “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding,” a five part documentary on Channel 4. These productions are continuously shown and identify the lifestyle of Gypsy women under specific pretences. These are based on the wandering lifestyle, portrayal of the minority and stereotypes which continue to exist about the women. Understanding how the media creates sets of boundaries with the women can also create a specific relationship to the overall ideologies which have created a stereotype and boundaries around this specific group. 1.1 Topic The main approach to this research paper is to identify the Gypsy women that are in the media and how this relates to stereotypes and boundaries. The investigation of this paper will examine various media and TV based sources, specifically which create the belief that there is a reality based component to the media. The investigation will look at the role and representation of Gypsy women in the media as well as the stereotypes which are presented among the media with this specific lifestyle. The research paper will use and ethnological and anthropological approach in identifying the role of the women and the current boundaries of identity which have been placed within the media. 1.2 Research Title and Question The research title for this paper is the Role and Representation of Gypsy Women in the media. The aim is to identify what the main concepts are in TV presentations of Gypsy women. Specifically, the research paper will ask: - How are Gypsy women presented in modern TV? - What are the roles which the Gypsy women have? - Is the portrayal on reality TV a true representation of the Gypsy lifestyle of women? - Is the TV presenting the lifestyle for understanding or for pure entertainment? Word Count: 338 2.0 Literature Review The concept of representation through the media is one which has various definitions and is divided in specific ways. When looking at the Gypsy women, it can first be seen that they are divided by the concept of belonging to a minority group. The concept of a minority group is defined by a race, class, culture or gender which is outside of a majority group. This is specific to the region in which one is in as well as how this is associated with the main group. The idea of the minority is further divided because of misperceptions and stereotypes which are created. This occurs because the minority is often unable to represent or show a different expression of their culture to a group. The process creates divisions within society, specifically because of a lack of understanding between the majority and minority groups. It also leads to the need to create new definitions that are respectful of tolerance and which are associated with various attitudes within society (Weldon, 2006). 2.1 Identifying the Gypsy Woman The concept of the minority is one which is further defined by various ethnicities and genders. The Gypsy woman in modern society is one which is associated with several types of stereotypes, specifically because of the lack of representation which is in society. The concept of the Gypsy culture is referenced as one based on the ideology of immigration and leading a life that is carefree and not based on the domestic lifestyle that most have. A lack of schooling, education and occupation are also often referred to with this lifestyle. However, many have found that these specific stereotypes move outside of the normal aspects of the Gypsy culture as sustainability within the communities are also well – known. The dichotomy of the culture and the way in which it is associated with the defined ethnic values is one of the misrepresentations which occur in society (Casa – Nova, 2006). The concept of Gypsy women as a culture which is unknown creates sets of stereotypes and definitions based on the identity of the women. The main response which is known throughout society is to label the Gypsy as belonging to a marginalized identity which is mostly unknown within society. The concept of the other begins to build as the Gypsy women are not seen throughout society and because of the response which they hold throughout the culture. This is further defined by an association with collective marginalization. This states that there is a division of the culture from the rest of society that is culturally accepted by the majority. The collective number of people create the same definitions, boundaries and sense of marginalization with the Gypsy women, specifically because there isn’t the ability to define and associate with the given culture (Tomko, 2010). 2.2 Media as a Representation of Identity The use of the media is one of the ways in which the representation of identity begins to change. The main association with Gypsy women is currently being looked at through the identity of documentaries. The documentary is known for taking the unknown and the other and creating a realistic viewpoint and spotlight on the realities of those which are involved with a specific identity. While the TV documentary is able to show a perspective of reality, this is also limited by several aspects. Typically, the documentary highlights one aspect of the media and the identity which is a part of society. This is further altered by the concept of the media as one which caters to the ideals of society first, specifically for marketing and media, than begins to change these alterations by looking at other realistic viewpoints which relate to or break the stereotypes which are in society. The perspective which is considered with the media is the important aspect which is associated with the representation of the unknown and the creation of changing this into a different perspective (Kilborn, Izod, 1997). The ideology which is creating from the reality TV and documentaries is furthered by the concept of constructing the real. When looking at various reality TVs, documentaries and other aspects, there is a known concept which relates to the ideal of construction. The plot line, characters, stories and the viewpoint which is given is one which provides various dimensions of understanding. The first is based on entertainment, specifically because any documentary or reality TV show needs to appeal to a larger crowd and should receive attention from the mass media. While there are many aspects of reality, several continue to question whether this is based on entertainment or if it is a true depiction of life. The concept of the real is divided first by entertainment and appeal. If this is not associated with the director instructions, then individuals who know they will be on TV may create a specific response to gather attention and to create a sense of fame while on the program. The concept of reality is further divided by the perspectives taken by individuals on the TV and factors which are incorporated and divided into the overall association with the program and the communication which it provides to others as spectators (Friedman, 2002). 2.3 Gypsy Women and Reality TV The concept of Gypsy women on reality TV and documentaries is one which continues to be a reaction to the real and the construction of identity for entertainment. In several past documentaries and investigations, the concept of the Gypsy woman has been displayed as a constructed reality which is able to highlight the exciting parts of a Gypsy’s life and to feed into the idea of marginalization and the other which is associated with this lifestyle in society. Examples of this include the documentary “The Gypsy” and “Woman’s Face of Resistance.” Both show themes that relate to the Gypsy lifestyle. However, from the analysis of researchers (Kecht, 2000), there is an understanding that the Gypsy lifestyle is one which had a tone and narrative based on entertainment first. The highlighted aspects of the lifestyle were inclusive of a specific message which was intended for the audience and the marginalized identity which was created by that audience. From this perspective, there was a limited sense of reality because of the concept of entertainment and mass publicity, even though both narratives were considered documentaries (Kecht, 2000). The stereotypes which are created are furthered because of the inability to examine other aspects of the lifestyle. The Gypsy women are considered as an ethnic minority, which doesn’t provide them with a strong voice in relation to the reality of the culture. At the same time, the ideal of new reality continues to persuade those in reality TV and with lifestyles because of the known changes within society. The representation becomes a mirror of what is expected by the majority society and represents instead only one aspect that is fulfilling to the audience because of the expected stereotypes. While some associations with reality may be constructed from this, there are limitations in the images of the Gypsy women because of the misunderstandings, expectations and entertainment value which is strongly associated with the Gypsy lifestyle (Gabor, 2007). Word Count: 1187 3.0 Consideration of Intended Methodology 3.1 Epist This study will follow an ethnological and anthropological approach. This will be used because of the association with the cultural aspects that are being defined. The ethnological approach will consist of observing the majority group which is most attracted to the documentaries and the association which is created from this within society. There will also be a second part which is focused on the ethnicity of the minority group and how they create a specific image to society which redefines the reality and existence of the Gypsy women. The anthropological approach which follows this will further define the culture of the Gypsy women and how this may differ or be the same than the perceptions that are on documentaries and reality TV. The anthropological approach will also include an examination of the reactions which have occurred since the interest in Gypsy women has arisen within society (Deacon, 1999). 3.2 Samples The samples which will be taken will consist of representations from the media that are currently being given about the Gypsy lifestyle. The representation will begin with media responses, opinions in newspapers and overall value associations and opinions which are being made in response to the documentaries. These samples will be followed by the current viewing statistics about the new documentary of “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding,” which has now aired for the fourth time on Channel 4. An overview will be found of how many times this has been shown, how many viewers have watched it and will question whether there is a growing interest in this particular documentary as a part of society. The samples that are used will be followed by a set of individuals in the culture which are interviewed about their understanding and perspective of the Gypsy women in culture as well as whether this is a group which is strongly represented with documentaries. To account for the voice and representation of the Gypsy women, there will also be research provided on the daily life of Gypsy women, specifically which is provided from an ethnographical point of view, specifically to understand the complete reality of women from this culture that are now living in society. 3.3 Methods The methods which will be used will consist of mixed methods that are used to analyze and depict the concepts that are within society. The mixed method will begin with quantitative research that is based on observing the interest in Gypsy women from the documentaries that are depicted as well as what the responses to this are. There will also be a mix of ethnographical research that is used from research provided about the reality of Gypsy women and the daily lives that they have. The two types of quantitative research will be followed with a qualitative study, specifically which will analyze the reactions which many have to the group and the observations which have begun to arise about the responses to the minority group. There will be questions asked about the understanding of the Gypsy women in society, perceptions which may exist and associations which are a part of the culture. By determining each of these aspects, there will be the ability to create and define a well – rounded perspective of the women in society and how it associates with both the media and with the given culture (Tashakkori, Teddlie, 2003). Another part of the methodology which is essential as a part of the research is based on the content analysis. This will be inclusive of a qualitative study based on observation of the documentaries as well as the responses which are in a content based form. The content analysis will be inclusive of looking at key terms, associations with the culture and the responses which take place from the documentaries. The content analysis will also be based on the responses from the community in relation to the documentary. This will be done with the understanding that the ability to analyze content also provides a different perspective on the documentary and the understanding of the concept o the minority. This will define the minority, create an evaluation of how many respond within society and will build an association with how the minority is accepted and perceived by the majority group (Krippendorff, 2004). 3.4 Ethics The different approaches which will be used will provide for an overview and analysis that is based on the concept of Gypsy women in society. This will be combined with the ethics that are used with research. The main ethical consideration is based on the evaluation of Gypsy women and how this may create other stereotypes, false representations or personal attacks on the group. There are also ethical concerns with the privacy of those that have been featured in the documentaries and the behaviors which may lead to the belief in newer stereotypes. To prevent this, specific types of content analysis will be used and the various methodologies will be incorporated to understand the overall concepts of the documentaries and the representation of Gypsy women. To further this, confidentiality will be used for individuals specified for content and there will be no mention of the media that are displaying the documentaries and reality programs (Aguinis, 2002). Word count: 863 Claims at End of Research By the end of the research, there will be an understanding of how realistic the representation of Gypsy women is on TV as well as how much of this is displayed because of entertainment value. By analyzing the reactions from the public, growing interest in the ethnicity and the understanding of the lifestyle of Gypsy women from other perspectives, there will be the ability to create and analyze more about the truth of the culture. When looking at these several components, an overall understanding of how the media is viewing Gypsy women, either through reality or as a component of belonging to a marginalized group in society can be made. These claims can help to further evaluate sociological, ethnographic and media related reactions which are currently in society. Word count: 128 Limitations Even though this particular research focuses on providing a well – rounded viewpoint of what is occurring with documentaries and reality TV, there are also limitations in the research. To completely evaluate reactions and understandings of how individuals respond within a culture, there is also the need to create a sense of knowledge about the psychological reactions, cultural evaluations and the relationship which many have to Gypsy women. There is also the need to have a personal understanding of the Gypsy women and their lifestyle, specifically to make a claim that they are represented as entertainment with the documentary. These limitations create complexities in truly evaluating the documentary and whether it provides a clear perception of Gypsy women. However, the research can be furthered with others who are interested in this group and the under representation which persists in society. Word Count: 139 Total Word Count: 2655 References Aguinis, H. (2002). Ethics in Research. California: Sage Publications. Baxter, R. L. et. al. (1985) A Content Analysis of Music Videos. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 29, 3, 333-340. Casa – Nova, MJ. (2006). “Gypsy Culture, Children, Schooling and Life Opportunities.” Repositorium 5 (17). Deacon, D. et. al. (1999) Researching Communication: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media and Cultural Analysis. Hodder Arnold: London. Friedman, James. (2002). Reality Squared: Televisual Discourse on the Real. New York: Rutgers University. Gabor, E. (2007). “Gypsy Stereotypes and Ideology Levels in Two European Feature Films.” Intercultural Communication Studies 18 (2). Kecht, Maria – Regina. (2000). “Three Media – One Story? Maria Therese Kerschbaumer’s Gypsy Narrative.” Women in German Yearbook. (16). Kilborn, RW, John Izod. (1997). An Introduction to Television Documentary: Confronting Reality. New York: Manchester University Press. Krippendorff, Klaus (2004) Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. Thousand Oaks: Sage Singleton, RA, BC Straits. (2003). Approaches to Social Research New York: Oxford University Press. Tashakkori, Abbas, Charles Teddlie. (2003). Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social and Behavioral Research. California: Sage Publications. Tomko, M. (2010). “Gypsies and the British Imagination.” Nineteenth Century Literature 15 (72). Tracey, M. (1978). The Production of Political Television New York: Routledge. Weldon, SA. (2006). “The Institute for Context of Tolerance for Ethnic Minorities.” American Journal of Political Science 15 (7). Appendix A Approach to the Quantitative Study For a complete understanding of the responses to the Gypsy community to be made, a combination of approaches will be used for the research. The first will be on the representations of the media that are currently a part of the Gypsy lifestyle. This will include a survey which consists of the following: Survey of Representation of Gypsy Women 1. Number of Shows about Gypsy women. 2. Number of documentaries / reality TV about Gypsy women. 3. Number of airings on TV from the years 2000 – present with any noted growth 4. Number of viewers watching the airings from 2000 – present with any noted growth 5. Responses from other media sources about the TV shows, such as newspapers, media, etc. and any noted growth. 6. Rating of the shows by critics, viewers, etc. The information for the representation of women will be found by looking at statistical data online and through various TV shows which are required to present the viewers and responses. If information is not valid or found, then channels such as channel 4, which is known for airing the recent documentaries, will be asked for information, all which will remain anonymous. Survey of Content The top viewing channels will be looked into, specifically which will be associated with the content analysis needed in the survey. The content analysis will be inclusive of looking at the top rated shows, as well as the top responses that have occurred. The content will be analyzed with the following. Survey of Content of Top Rated Shows 1. Language used to describe the Gypsy women. 2. Language of the Gypsy women. 3. Representation of clothing / fashion of Gypsy women. 4. Representation of lifestyle of Gypsy women, defined through words and experiences of the women. 5. Representation of economics, defined through the experiences of the women, if applicable. 6. Representation of “the other” by defining the ideas of culture, belonging to a group and fitting into a society (heard through content and association to this) 7. Representation of the majority population. (response on the TV show). These will be used to show how the Gypsy women are represented as well as whether this fits a specific stereotype, lifestyle or other aspect of the Gypsy women or whether it is a true representation of the lifestyle led by this minority group. The content will then move from the top rated shows and into the responses heard from the media. The same survey will be used to look at responses from media, newspapers and comments from viewers. Appendix B Approach to the Qualitative Study and Pilot Questionnaire It is expected that there will be difficulty in retrieving information from the Gypsy community because of the minority population and the closer association with the group that is not found in the majority society. The approach to the qualitative study and pilot questionnaire will then be based on two components. The first will be the beliefs about Gypsy women that are held in popular culture as well as how this has been affected by the media. The second will be an ethnographical study from previous literature and studies that defines the realities of Gypsy women in the community. The pilot questionnaire for the community will consist of a set of 50 – 100 individuals who are familiar with Gypsy women. These will be randomly chosen to provide general information about the responses and understanding to Gypsy women in the community. The questionnaire will be given as follows. Pilot Questionnaire Sample 1. Age__________ 2. Gender ______female ______male 3. Ethnic background _____________________ 4. What types of programs do you watch most? a. Reality TV b. Dramas c. Comedies d. Other _____________ 5. How often do you watch TV programs? a. 1-5 hours b. 6-10 hours c. 10 or more hours d. I don’t watch TV 6. Do you believe that reality TV: a. Depicts the complete truth b. Changes with media directions c. Is strictly entertainment for society d. None 7. What is your current perception of gypsy women in the community? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Have you watched any documentaries or Reality TV programs about Gypsy women? ______yes __________ no 9. If yes, please specify which program (s) a. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding b. Gypsy woman c. Adela and Agnetha d. Taking Destiny Into Her Own Hands e. Other ______________ 10. If yes, have any of these documentaries changed your attitude about Gypsy women? Please specify how. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Do you believe that these documentaries are a realistic perception of Gypsy women? _______yes _______ no 12. Please specify ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13. Have you ever been a part of or associated with Gypsy women in your current community? ____yes _____ no 14. If yes, do you believe that the documentaries have a realistic perception of Gypsy women? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ From these perspectives, there will be the ability to analyze what gaps are in the majority community as well as how this relates to the depiction of Gypsy women in the community. This will be combined with the analysis through ethnographical studies of literature as well as through online content which may show alternative viewpoints that have been observed about the life of Gypsy women, as opposed to the association which has been made in the media. Chosen Sample Population: randomly chosen – 100 people, created with cluster samples target of university students for first 50 target of residential areas for other 50 The individuals will be found within a given location to be specified at the time of the questionnaire. A time frame will be given on three specific dates to collect an average of 100 samples. Guide to the Timeline of the Proposed Study Dates Task Details Performed? Summer 2011 Plan research in detail Finalize questionnaires for both studies Summer 2011 Finalize designs of questionnaire Do a pilot questionnaire Early October 2011 Begin research on the media influences Find statistics online or contact various TV programs for information and statistics on viewers Last two weeks of October Finish media influences and study content of various shows Look at statistics, compare and analyze various media influences (content + data) November, 2011 Perform questionnaire of viewers 2 weekends spent finding 100 random individuals November, 2011 Collection of data Inclusive of finishing the media study, looking at questionnaires, researching ethnographic studies of gypsies December Complete findings Media, research and questionnaires, if needed January Interpretation of findings Relate this to planning and literature review January – Febraury 2012 Write into the dissertation Report finished formally and edited for final references Read More