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Recommended Readings
Fuchs, S. 2001. Against Essentialism: A Theory of Culture and Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. This book presents a sociological theory of culture. This interdisciplinary and foundational work deals with fundamental issues common to current debates in social theory, including society, culture, meaning, truth, and communication.
Holtzman, L. and L. Sharpe. 2014. Media Messages: What Film, Television, And Popular Music Teach Us about Race, Class, Gender, And Sexual Orientation. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. This book analyzes how the media we consume affects our understanding of different groupings in society. The analysis is not only theoretical but is also supported with many examples of television shows, movies, and songs from popular culture.
Said, E. 1978. Orientalism. New York: Pantheon. In this book, Edward Said clarifies his idea of “othering” in relation to how the Middle East is viewed and portrayed by Western societies. This is a seminal book about how the West treats other cultures and deals with many of the themes discussed in this chapter.
Recommended Websites
Bechdel Test
This website allows you to see how a wide range of movies stand up to the Bechdel test. You may be interested to see which movies have passed the test and the ratio to those that have not.
Disability News Service
http://disabilitynewsservice.com
This website seeks to address the underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the news and the lack of news stories on issues that affect their lives. It is an excellent example of equitable reporting and focuses on issues of respect and status in society.
National Film Board
A repository of filmed Canadian culture, including short documentaries about and films made by groups we have discussed in this chapter, including films about and by Indigenous Peoples.
Women’s Media Center
The Women’s Media Center works to increase the visibility of women in the media we consume. The website contains literature and statistics about how women are underrepresented in the media, as well as articles and blogs about feminist issues.