OUGD501: Lecture- Identity

This lecture links to the previous session and essay I completed from looking at interactionist and psychoanalysis theories based on identity. (see previous)

At the beginning of the lecture it was suggested that in the past, historically middle class western white males decided what made people intelligent. It was traditionally thought that our biological make up makes us who we are this leads to a large amount of racism especially within the images above it idolises their own race and portrays a negative representation of other races which aren't western/white. 

Fragmentation of the idea of "self" allows people to determine what their own identity is for example online profiles such as Facebook are constructed idealised representations of ourselves. They are fragments of our personality and how we look and therefore only show a small snippet of ourselves. 

Upper classes within the 19th century used their wealth to dress in expensive clothing. The idea of a "stroller" portrays the idea that these men are simply far too rich to have to work like the working class who spent most of their times in the mills. However in terms of fashion the lower classes started to mock the way they dressed by copying it and using lower quality materials and therefore resulting in a cheaper version of it. This still happens today with high street stores creating cheaper versions of designer and catwalk fashions that traditionally only rich people could afford. 

This theory even in the 21st century creates the idea of "other" or "otherness" that people are seen as separate and not the same as everyone else, they can be seen as lesser importance simply because they do not follow the dominant ideal. 

This photography set called "Worktown" was created in Bolton, Lancashire by Humphrey Spender it claims to document the lives of the working class. But as the photographer is of a middle to higher class it could be seen to be quite a biased opinion and point of view of the working class. The photograph of the cinema only shows a select few people and perhaps the photographer has carefully framed these photographs to suggest and portray his own opinion of these people. The fact that the photographer is wealthy means that he is able to take these photographs and live without an income for a few months because he is able to do so therefore finding some of form of entertainment in creating these photographs for free at the expense of those in the frame.