Browsing by Author "Holt, Alexander Robert."

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An analysis of racial stereotyping in SABC-TV commercials in the context of reform, 1978-1992.
(1998) Holt, Alexander Robert.; Tomaselli, Keyan Gray.
This thesis uses racial stereotyping as a critical approach to the analysis of television advertising commercials broadcast by the SABC during the period of Reform in South Africa, 1978-1992. Due respect is given to theoretical debates about the ideological role of consumer advertising. In the light of various possible causes, such as an increasing importance of blacks to the consumer market, government co-option in terms of 'Total Strategy', or calls by the business sector for a strong black middle class, particular attention is given to the underlying dynamics of black middle class depiction in advertisements. The Introduction outlines the main arguments of the thesis, key theoretical moves, and discusses research sources. Chapter 1 clarifies the concept of stereotype, the nature of racial stereotyping, and proposes a category framework for the analysis of racial stereotyping in a reformist apartheid context. Chapter 2 marries a racial stereotyping critical approach of consumer advertising in South Africa with theoretically-informed advertising criticism in terms of a conception of consumption as a means of hegemony. Chapter 3 outlines aspects of the post-World War II political economy which have underpinned the ensuing forms of South African racial stereotyping. Chapter 4 examines the basis of the SABC-TV broadcasting dispensation and its influence upon the forms of racial stereotyping in commercials. Chapter 5 examines the use of political and public service advertising during the P.W. Botha era, in consideration of what influence such political dimensions of Reform might have had upon the ideological content of advertising in general. Chapter 6 examines advertising production practices during the period of Reform in order to assess the position of the advertising industry with regard to the changing forms in racial stereotyping. Chapter 7 applies the preceding theorisation and assessments about the relationship between the political economy and changing forms of racial stereotyping in SABC-TV commercials in a case study based on the advertising commercial 'history reel' for Castle Lager. Chapter 8 gives further verification in a case study of the history reel for Rama margarine. The Conclusion sums up the preceding chapters and reassess earlier observations. Appendices in Volume II of the thesis provide 830 shot-by-shot descriptions and 890 stills for 41 commercials that comprise the two case studies.
Popularising semiotics.
(Centre for the Study of Communication and Culture., 1991) Tomaselli, Keyan Gray.; Shepperson, Arnold.; Teer-Tomaselli, Ruth Elizabeth.; Baker, Russell.; Ballot, Jane Jennifer.; Holt, Alexander Robert.; Mahaye, Zithulele.; Nursoo, Lara.
Semiotics, deconstructionism, structuralism and postmodernism are words which lurk on boundaries of the consciousness of most of us. But they remain shadowy presences except on the rare occasions when we need to wrestle out of them an explanation of just what they are all about. In this issue of Trends we grapple with one of them, semiotics. C. S. Peirce, the American, pragmatist philosopher who coined the term, saw semiotics as a 'method of methods', useful in many disciplines to clarify their own theory and practice. Everyone uses signs and symbols. Everyone thinks they know the meanings of the signs and symbols they use. But why do they have meanings? Where do the meanings come from? Why are the signs and symbols used by one person or group so frequently misinterpreted by others? Semiotics may seem esoteric, but its interests are central to all communication. Consequently all communicators should be concerned with at least some of the problems dealt with semioticians. To guide us on our exploration of semiotics the publishers of Trends, the Centre for the Study of Communication and Culture, have enlisted the aid of Professor Keyan Tomaselli and his colleagues at the Centre for Cultural and Media Studies of the University of Natal, who for some years have been studying the cultural side of semiotics. So eager has their response been that we have devoted two issues of Trends to their reports. The contents of these two issues manifest the views of the authors more than is usual for Trends, and they are not necessarily those of the editors; but the CSCC feels that the perspective of the CCMS deserves both expression and discussion.