Discourse & Identity III (Discussion)
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Revision as of 15:54, 21 October 2013 by Jeremy Butler (talk | contribs) (added strengths/weaknesses)
Girlfriends
Beretta Smith-Shomade (pronounced "show-ma-day") examines "four intertwined elements in television comedy that define and give meaning to Black women's representation there: work roles, characterization, class, and identity" (48). Each group should discuss the key aspects of these elements and apply Smith-Shomade's analysis of 1990s sitcoms to Girlfriends (2000-2008):
- Group 3: work and class
- Group 4: identity: language
- Group 1: identity: skin shade
- Group 2: identity: hair
- All groups: characterization (i.e., conventional roles and stereotypes). Does Girlfriends rely on African-American stereotypes? E.g., "mammy," "sapphire," "tragic mulatto," etc.
- All groups: Place Smith-Shomade's analysis within the context of the study of race and ethnicity. How would you characterize her approach to the sitcom?
Cast
- William Dent (Reggie Hayes)
- Toni Childs (Jill Marie Jones)
- Maya Wilkes (Golden Brooks)
- Joan Clayton (Tracee Ellis Ross)
- Lynn Searcy (Persia White)
All groups
- List two strength(s) of analyzing identity in terms of discourse. List two weaknesses of this approach.
Bibliography
- Jeremy G. Butler, Television: Critical Methods and Applications (NY: Routledge, 2012).
- Beretta E. Smith-Shomade, “Laughing Out Loud: Negras Negotiating Situation Comedy,” Shaded Lives: African-American Women and Television (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002), 24-68.
External links
- Wikipedia book: Girlfriends allusions
- Girlfriends illustrations
- "Infanity: Girlfriends," tour of the Girlfriends set by Persia White, local copy