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Branding the Others

Nguyen, Ha An LU (2019) SKOM12 20191
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
In view of the fact that Western films are one of the most consumed forms of popular culture in the world market, this study argues that they are, therefore, integral to the nation branding process of non Western countries. Anchored in postcolonial theory, this research purposely turned to Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis model as a matching analytical framework. With an intention of revealing how the relation between language and power has made these prevalent Western films become a colonial discourse on non-Western nation brands, this study uses Vietnam as a supporting empirical case. During the analysis, this study seeks to excavate the ideologies of colonialism, Eurocentrism and Orientalism couched in textual and verbal... (More)
In view of the fact that Western films are one of the most consumed forms of popular culture in the world market, this study argues that they are, therefore, integral to the nation branding process of non Western countries. Anchored in postcolonial theory, this research purposely turned to Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis model as a matching analytical framework. With an intention of revealing how the relation between language and power has made these prevalent Western films become a colonial discourse on non-Western nation brands, this study uses Vietnam as a supporting empirical case. During the analysis, this study seeks to excavate the ideologies of colonialism, Eurocentrism and Orientalism couched in textual and verbal language of Western films’ discourse on the Vietnamese people and Gender. The findings show that Western popular films’ representation of non-Western nations and people rests on the strong and entrenched association with the inferior Others, while also replicating colonial stereotypes about non-Western women as being an object of the male gaze, sexually enticing and quiet. The results also demonstrate the ambivalence towards the Western popular culture’s colonialism-based perception of the Others, as well as of non-Western nation brands. The findings serve as a critique of the discursive practice of Western film production and consumption, which have excessively reproduced and institutionalised colonialism as knowledge of non-Western nation brand. The discussion of implications concludes that Western popular culture, through contributing to global knowledge concerning the nation brand of the Others, operates as a powerful instrument of (neo-)colonialism, exerts and extends control over the nation branding of erstwhile colonies in the modern world. (Less)
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author
Nguyen, Ha An LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Understanding the Influence of Western Popular Film on the Construction of Nation Brand through a Postcolonial Lens
course
SKOM12 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
nation branding, postcolonialism, feminism, Western popular culture, critical discourse analysis
language
English
id
8989696
date added to LUP
2019-11-07 11:29:25
date last changed
2019-11-07 11:29:25
@misc{8989696,
  abstract     = {{In view of the fact that Western films are one of the most consumed forms of popular culture in the world market, this study argues that they are, therefore, integral to the nation branding process of non Western countries. Anchored in postcolonial theory, this research purposely turned to Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis model as a matching analytical framework. With an intention of revealing how the relation between language and power has made these prevalent Western films become a colonial discourse on non-Western nation brands, this study uses Vietnam as a supporting empirical case. During the analysis, this study seeks to excavate the ideologies of colonialism, Eurocentrism and Orientalism couched in textual and verbal language of Western films’ discourse on the Vietnamese people and Gender. The findings show that Western popular films’ representation of non-Western nations and people rests on the strong and entrenched association with the inferior Others, while also replicating colonial stereotypes about non-Western women as being an object of the male gaze, sexually enticing and quiet. The results also demonstrate the ambivalence towards the Western popular culture’s colonialism-based perception of the Others, as well as of non-Western nation brands. The findings serve as a critique of the discursive practice of Western film production and consumption, which have excessively reproduced and institutionalised colonialism as knowledge of non-Western nation brand. The discussion of implications concludes that Western popular culture, through contributing to global knowledge concerning the nation brand of the Others, operates as a powerful instrument of (neo-)colonialism, exerts and extends control over the nation branding of erstwhile colonies in the modern world.}},
  author       = {{Nguyen, Ha An}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Branding the Others}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}