Filmic Representation(s) of Ethnic Minorities. A Comparison of the Presentation of Indigenous Identity in Film on Inter-, National and European Level (Dissertation Project)

Culture, communication and identity interact with each other. Without culture there would be no communication and without communication there would be no culture. The formation of identity would also not be possible, since it is formed by a constant comparison of one’s own cultural arrangement with the foreign one. Mass media line up in this interrelation, since knowledge and opinion formation about foreign cultures are often generated by media; they can drive a transcultural effect and a cross-cultural understanding. Thus, the construction of culture through media influences the perception of ourselves and others and affects the development of our own cultural identity.

The medium ‘film’ – as a historically evolved art form and means of mass media communication – takes on important tasks of representation, processing and differentiation of various topics of public life. ‘Film’ interacts with the audience and is therefore embedded in a social relationship of communication and interaction. It functions as a carrier of meaning, to which meaning is attributed through meaning assignments and structures of experience. Hence, the mass medium ‘film’ is not only an identity-forming “tool”, but also a mirror of the social zeitgeist.

The dissertation project is based on the question of the significance of cinematic representation(s) of ethnic minorities and their influence on identity formation and placing within a social structure. With the help of a reception-aesthetic film analysis, the representation of indigenous identity – including its development over time – in Sorbian, Sámi and Māori films will be examined and compared.

The dissertation is supervised by Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Prommer, Institute for Media Research at the University of Rostock.