The Other and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory - Essay Example

? The ‘Other’ and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory Contents Introduction 3 2. Stereotypes 4 3. Colonialism and the 'Other' 5 4. Interpretation and Representation through 'Otherness' 6 5. Race, Otherness and Film 7 6. Theory 9 7. Conclusion 10 Bibliography 12 The ‘Other’ and Race in Film and in Discussing Film Theory 1. Introduction The representation of 'other' in art and literature is an intention to engage the exotic, taking that which is human and rendering it unique and alien so that the mystery of other cultures takes on the aspect of something foreign to the human experience. The concept of 'otherness' is often seen as a representation of racial differences, the physical manifestations of different ethnic orientations becoming central to the concept of that outside of the accepted experience of human existence of a xenophobic culture. Representations of 'otherness' can be seen in literature and art, including that Colonization was predicated on the idea of 'otherness', the existence of cultures that were defined through means that were not relative to Euro-Caucasian understandings of the world were deemed not valid and could therefore be subverted to the wants and desires of an oppressive force that gleaned profit from that which could be mined for its resources. In assigning the idea of 'other', cultures were dehumanized and used without regard to the affects of that use on the cultural existence. In examining the nature of 'otherness' and the development of the character presence as it is defined by what is alien to the culture of origin, the nature of the perceptions about the exotic can be revealed. As art reflects stereotypes that define how one culture or race perceives the experience of being human in relationship to other cultures, it can be seen that in many cases differences are translated through a process of dehumanization. 'Otherness' is a state of existence through which the development of the exotic creates a sense of mystery that is part of the concept of supernatural, suggesting that otherworldliness of human existence is on a plane that is outside of what is known, and therefore unfathomable. The development of the notion of 'otherness' is a way of coping with what is not easily understood about differences between cultures, exploring sexuality and fear through the development of concepts rather than individuated characterisation. 2. Stereotypes Stereotypes are ways of categorizing people into groupings that are designated for cultural differences that can be superficially recognized to create a profile of a people. Gilman (1985, p. 15) begins the discussion of stereotypes by stating that "We all create images of things we fear or glorify". In creating these images, it sets them apart and supports a perception about 'otherness' as it is defined by what is percieved to be true in relationship to differences that are not readily understood. Stereotyping categories of groupings is a coping mechanism. Gilman (1985, p. 16) writes that "they buffer us against our most urgent fears by extending them, making it possible for us to act as though their source were beyond our control". Gillman (1985) goes on to say that stereotypes are a way of coping with the external world as the internalized concept of the self is threatened. It is a way to define perceptions of the world, but also a way to make sense of those things that seem out of the control of the individual. When using stereotypes to express something about the human condition, it is a way of organizing perceptions about 'otherness' so that it fits into how the world is understood. Bhabha (1994) discusses how this is a way of stabilizing what seems to threaten what is understood about the world. Stereotypes are often insulting, their categorisation of human experiences manifesting into the dehumanization of cultures through grouping them in what are often negative interpretations of their traditions and beliefs. Bhabha (1994) discusses how these interpretations represent the derisive element and desires, the notions of 'otherness' compelling as much as they are rejected. What is created are objects of difference, the differences providing for strategic and specific calculations through which the objects of 'otherness' are interpreted, more often in negative meanings. 3. Colonialism and the 'Other' Moral excuse is one of the purposes of the concept of 'other'. Payne and Barbera (2010) discuss the work of Fanon as he explored the nature of racial designation and the concept of 'otherness'. They state that "Fanon observed that to speak the language of the colonizer was to carry the (imposed) weight of an entire civilization and to bury one's own traditions and history" (Payne and Barbera 2010, p. 262). Fanon (2008) suggests that what happens is that staying within the boundaries of ethnically defined territories allows the 'black' man to be safe, where traveling outside of those community boundaries places him in a position of 'otherness' and he is at risk of being treated poorly for that perception of him. By language, it can be said that the colonized peoples adapt the cultural behaviours of colonizers in order to survive the imposed otherness. Colonizers take the stand that they are doing a service to people who are not 'civilized' and whose resources are not being exploited as they could be for economic gain. Assigning 'otherness' can be an excuse for imposing upon the traditions and belief systems of a people to save them from being different from a more powerful nation. Colonization becomes exploitation, then, of not only resources but of the observable differences to the point that the colonized become the children of the colonizers, their own traditions subverted to the more powerful and oppressive nature of the colonizers. The development of 'otherness' becomes part of the oppression, the oppressors using this tool as a way of imposing inferiority. It is through inferiority concepts that the emergence of understanding how 'otherness' becomes a representation of race and how through this idea of the objectification of a people the fears and insecurities that created 'otherness' also then created the idea of race. 4. Interpretation and Representation through 'Otherness' 'Otherness' can be interpreted, then, as an imposed set of stereotypical behaviors upon a defined culture or ethnic group of people. In looking at how black women view themselves, Bel Hooks (1996) discusses how 'black' women find it difficult to find themselves the subject within their life as they are imprisoned by the objectification that they experience through the media. Hooks (1996) also discusses how Manthia Diawara, in the article titled 'Black spectatorship: Problems of identification and resistence' reveals that the gender, sex, and sexuality of the individual provides different interpretations of material that is viewed. The spectator becomes resistant as he or she is placed in the position of the other, their position within society isolated and set aside, made different through the images that impose upon them stereotypical frameworks. Identity becomes more entrenched within the image rather than within the basic concepts from which freedom could provide for a more productive self image. Interpretation of the self becomes externalized, dependent upon the imposed image of self and the source of a sense of self-loathing. Images of the self become burdened by the concept of colonized belief systems about the inferiority of those oppressed cultures. Through the representations that have come from the periods of colonization, the self of those who represent a sense of 'other' is subverted and burdened with that imposed supposition. What occurs as the development of the 'other' representation is established is that the dominant behaviors and stereotypes begin to overwhelm the minority, this creating a culture that is very similar, but not quite the same (Modleski 1999). This establishes the foundation of the 'otherness'. Modleski (1999) discusses the work of Bhabha as she relates it to work in the cinema. The theories that are put forth through the resistant spectator as Bhabha develops the argument about the position of the 'black' man and 'otherness' is that it comes down to the 'black' man feeling alien within his own culture. Representations in film have developed both the nature of this phenomenon and the satire of what it represents. The phenomenon of feeling alien in one's own culture is the core of the resistance that defines the position of 'other' as the world subsists on the recycling and the changes through which this feeling and imposition of other is developed. 5. Race, Otherness and Film Modleski (1999) uses the film Coming to America with Eddie Murphy to discuss the idea of mimicry as a part of the essence of the 'other'. A satirical attempt to reveal the essential 'other' as it is created through creating the mimicry of something in order to be the same is seen in the concept of McDowell’s, which the owner defends as not being the same as McDonalds as they have golden arcs, not arches, and so on. In this same way, it is the mimicry of 'white' society through which the human element is revealed, the concept that there is a fundamental difference clearly evident and yet missing at the same time as arbitrary differences are intended to show 'otherness' when they actually have no meaning. The film Alien Nation is intended to show a similar message, that altering the exterior of a 'white' body and showing it is an 'alien' does not change the core human element that defines what it means to be human (Modleski 1996). At the same time, those crucial differences provide context for violence and discrimination. The exotic of the 'other' is also the threat of the 'other', the unknown bringing about the fear that has been defined. Film allows a medium for discussing this difficult paradox, the lack of acceptance and understanding of differences creating paranoid and often violent reactions. The essential question, as posed by Hall (1997) is the subject of why difference matters. One of the reasons that difference matters is because it is in defining difference that meaning can be applied. Differences provide relational comparisons so that objects can be distinguished from each other. Meaning comes, therefore, from finding the differences between opposites in order to define them from one another. Where differences might be bridged, however, is in seeing films that have origins in nations that most Western societies consider 'other'. An Iranian film, titled The May Lady, discusses the difficulties of straddling traditions and modern life through her divorce, struggles with her son who wants to assume the role of head of family, and the overall issues that come from living in a society that has oppressive tendencies towards women (Donmez-Colin 2006). In the case of this film, Western audiences can see similarities between the protagonist's plight to that of modern women in the United States, but at the same time not enough to realize that it is not possible for women to behave in such a way. In the context of the Iranian audience, it is clear that the protagonist represents the 'other' within their society, a woman who has been able ot care for herself. In examining the Iranian film, it is clear that 'other' is relative to the audience who is observing the creation of 'other'. The communication of 'other' is relative to what is being compared to the experiences of the characters. The basis of creating differences can only be on the basis of individuated experience, the phenomenon coming forward as audiences relate their own experiences to that of the woman. 6. Theory Trifonova (2009, p. 10) writes that Europeans all but ignore the nature of race in their films, saying that it "seems to be a symptomatic and invisibility of the issue". Despite heavy periods of scientific racism and imperialistic imperatives, race was not much of an issue even as it rose socially. Race was more often referenced as betwen nationalities within the European discourse, even as a strong undercurrent of race related probelms persisted within society. Race was not discussed, even as it had an impact on society. One of the causes of this almost absent aspect of European discourse is that the history of race rleations within Europe is fragmented (Tritonova 2009). Where in the United States there is a coherent, uniting history of slavery that provides context for the discussion about race, the same kind of seminal history does not exist in the European context. In developing a discourse on race relations, the United States has a clear divide among people that is not so present within the European film industry. This creates a wealth of possibilities as the film industry continues to expand and grow, developing new ways in which to reflect the state of society. One of the reasons that the discourse on race has been largely absent is also based upon the difficulty that is held in defining the concept of race. Biological definitions of race have been shown to be valueless and race as a concept is rather arbitrary as certain physical attributes are used to lump people together without regard to true ethnicity or community (Young 1996). Because of the arbitrary and often invalid grouping of people into racial categories, the discourse on race becomes defined by the concept of 'other' as it is a term that is specifically based upon the vagueness of its description. 'Other' is specifically defined by what it is not, rather than a specific description of what it is. In discussing race in film, the objectification of stereotypes becomes a discourse on 'otherness' as characterization is developed upon ideas about what is racially specific, rather than on actual truths that are supported by biological fact. 7. Conclusion Human beings have little differences in their biology and all people are actually very much like one another in how their bodies work. How their bodies are adorned is simply geographic adaptation to the environment and does not divide them into categories. It is the need for specifying community that divides people into racially designated categories and it is the oppressive nature of 'white' society that has used colonization as a method of deconstructing cultures through which 'otherness' became mimicry of the dominant society. Otherness in film then becomes attempts to show how slight remaining differences are still sameness, just as in Eddie Murphy's film Coming to America. On the other end of the spectrum, it is the specific attempt to create otherness to prove a point about race that proves that violence stems from fear of difference as is shown in Alien Nation. Context is important as can be seen through looking at the Iranian film The May Lady. Trifonova shows that race has not been really addressed within European film as the history of race within the continent has been more fragmented. Through understanding the nature of the 'other', the issue of race can emerge as a discussion about culture through defining how in films this use of 'otherness' is developed. In truth, however, the discussion is difficult because there really is no such thing as race, but it is a made up construct of categorization that alleviates the fear of threats against the self identity as well as the identity of the community. Race is a way to explain the world when it comes to differences but in truth it is based on arbitrary and indistinct markings that only establish what an individual is not. 'Otherness' emerges as a resource for defining those who are not a member of a social group, rather than defining something about those who are not members. In the use of this concept in film, the idea of race can be explored through looking at fear and absurdity of human behavior as group struggle for meaning and identity. Bibliography Bhabha, Homi K. 1994. The location of culture. London: Routledge. Donmez-Colin, Gonul. 2006. Cinemas of the other. Bristol: Intellect. Fanon, Frantz. 2008. Black skin, white masks. New York, NY: Grove Press. Gilman, Sander L. 1985. Difference and pathology: stereotypes of sexuality, race, and madness. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Hall, Stuart. 'The spectacle of the other'. In Hall, Stuart. Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices. (London: Sage Publ 1997) pp 223 - 276. Hooks, Bel. 1996. Reel to real: Race, sex, and class in the movies. London: Routledge, \ 1997. Modleski, Tania. ‘Cinema and the Dark Continent: Race and Gender in Popular Film’ in Thornham (e) Feminist Film Theory: A Reader (Edinburgh University Press, 1999) pp 321-336 Payne, Michael, and Jessica Rae Barbera. 2010. A dictionary of cultural and critical theory. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell. Trifonova, Teme. 2009. European film theory. London: Francis & Taylor. Young, Lola. 1996. Fear of the dark: Race, gender and sexuality in the cinema. 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