COMS1003 Culture To Cultures Report 2 Sample

COMS1003 Culture To Cultures Report 2

In this assessment we explore Indigenous media, analysing particular texts as well as the context in which they have been produced. You will write an 1,800 word essay (this word count includes in-text citations and reference list as per 7thedition of APA Publication Manual) critically analysing TWO to THREE Australian Indigenous produced media representations (e.g.: a news or magazine article, a film/TV show, advert, comic, blog post, Podcast episode, YouTube video etc.). Your analysis will also consider how these texts are given meaning in the context in which they are produced. Lecture 6 (week 7) in particular contains information to help you with this assessment. As you critically analyse these media representations, we want you to pay attention to, and analyse the text itself, as well as the context that is relevant. Media is not produced in a cultural, social, political and historical vacuum. Your analysis of the text and context should incorporate theoretical concepts discussed in the first 4 weeks of the unit. Our discussions around Indigenous culture, peoples and identity; colonisation; and reconciliation will also help you with this assessment.

The analysis of the text and context may not have equal weighting in your assessment. Depending on the media representations you choose, you may explore one in more detail. The important thing is that your assessment has an argument and an analysis, and not a descriptive account of particular texts or the context in which they have been produced. Your analysis should refer to the textbook and TWO to THREE other scholarly sources. You are not permitted to use Gen AI software for this assessment task (please see the Academic

Misconduct section in the unit outline). The final product must be your own work. You can use it for study- related purposes, such as improving your efficiency or understanding. You can find information about AI use relating to academic integrity here (see the Academic Integrity Student Guide.

Solution

Introduction

The essay will critically analyze two Australian media representations: Neighbours, a long-running Australian TV show, and the article Australia’s Renewable Energy Revolution. The Road to 100% Clean Energy. Neighbours has been a staple of Australian television, reflecting social and cultural narratives but often criticized for its lack of Indigenous representation. On the other hand, the renewable energy article is about Australia’s environmental transformation but fails to address Indigenous relationships with the land and its resources, which is highly relevant to the discussion about environmental justice. Read together, both texts offer a rich understanding of how Indigenous culture, identity, and sovereignty are represented or erased in Australian media. These media texts shall be analyzed within cultural, social, political and historical contexts though issues like colonization, reconciliation and Indigenous people’s portrayal will be discussed in detail in this essay.

Media Representation 1: Neighbors (Australian TV Show)

Neighbours is one of Australia’s most enduring, popular and globally acclaimed soap operas, which has been on air since 1985. The show focuses on the fictional suburb of Erinsborough and has been noted for accurately portraying the Australian suburban society, touching on themes of family, friendship, and issues (Imdb, 2024). Despite the show being culturally important, Neighbours has received many complaints for its absence of representation of Indigenous people. The show has traditionally been orientated towards portraying only white, middle-class Australian families and their problems and seldom captures the indigenous population’s experiences in the country.

In Neighbours, Indigenous portrayal is limited, and there are only a few Indigenous characters who sometimes appear in the series since its inception in 1985 (Imdb, 2024). For instance, representation of ‘Nate Kinski’ as an Indigenous character in 2014 was very rare and was not succeeded by representation for a long time. This is a glaring omission in the show since the Indigenous population of Australia is not well represented, their culture not depicted, and their identity erased from the national memory. Indigenous Australians still experience socio-economic disadvantages stemming from colonization which has not been adequately addressed in Neighbours. Indigenous erasure extends to successful’ show and film representation that continue to manifest and construct a media without Indigenous people. On a larger level, what constitutes representation of Indigenous people in the show is not unique to it but part of vast media discourses in Australia. The present study for MBA Assignment Expert has found that Indigenous Australians remain marginalized or misrepresented in mainstream media however, in the few cases they appear in media and films, they are objectified or depicted in a manner that justifies their subjection or marginalization.

In purely theoretical context, Neighbours can be discussed through various frameworks of indigenous culture, identity, media representation (Riley, 2021). Stuart Hall who was a media scholar raised a point known as representation as a form of power that explains how the domination of Indigenous voices perpetuates colonialism. As such, Neighbours contributes to the continuation of the blatant disregard and exclusion of Indigenous identity from the mainstream media.

Media Representation 2: Australia’s Renewable Energy Revolution: The Road to 100% Clean Energy (Magazine Article)

The article, “Australia’s Renewable Energy Revolution,” the Road to 100% Clean Energy indicates the direction towards adoption of clean energy in the country such as Solar, wind and hydropower. It reveals the fact that the Australian government has set an ambitious target to cut 43% of the carbon emissions by 2030 and reach net zero emissions without relying on unproven technologies such as carbon capture and storage by 2050, making the country a leader in renewable energy. Such concepts as the increase in installed solar capacity and wind power, the extensive use of rooftop solar systems, and large-scale projects like the hydrogen export project (Coren fund, 2024). It focuses on funding for renewable energy that sees billions of dollars allocated toward the development of green energy projects outlines numerous state-level initiatives including South Australia’s goal of 100% renewable energy by ’30 and the proposed green energy mega project for Western Australia (Coren fund, 2024). Such are the elements the article uses to argue for wider involvement in the transition to renewable power generation, the practical aspects of which can include CORENA’s revolving fund for non-profit organizations and community groups to help them decrease their emissions.

However, the article overlooks a critical aspect of Australia’s environmental and energy landscape the issues of native people in terms of environmental equity. It is particularly disturbing that Indigenous voices are not included in the media discourse on renewable energy, and this article as well (Crocetti et al., 2021). Due to the inherited relationship with the land, the indigenous communities of Australia possess a wealth of traditional ecological knowledge that could be of great importance in addressing the issues of environmental conservation and sustainability. However, very limited coverage in Mainstream media still discusses how renewable energy projects affect Indigenous territories or allow Indigenous people in decisions regarding their uses. First Nations people have not traditionally been included or considered relevant to these discussions, and they are similarly not included here meanwhile, their perspective on such matters as managing the land is both valuable and untapped.

It is rather surprising that Indigenous people’s voice or reference to Indigenous people is not included in the article, especially when the article is discussing about the issue of land rights, and Indigenous people in Australia have experienced displacement and loss of their territories. Renewable energy projects, although aiding in combating climate change, are frequently established in Indigenous territories with religious, cultural, and historical values (Fredericks et al., 2021). The article discusses the large renewables hub in Western Australia but does not ask if first nations people have been engaged in these projects or if their land rights are being respected. Analyzing expansion of renewable energy like surge in fossil fuel extraction throws Indigenous groups into a further state of vulnerability by perpetuating what was seen as a right to extraction across Indigenous lands despite sovereignty (Lowan-Trudeau, 2020). To comprehend sustainable and moral native and non-natives interaction with the environment, the indigenous people should be involved in decisions about the use of renewable energy sources without posing further forms of colonization like those witnessed in the past.

This setting can be understood in terms of colonization, Indigenous people’s displacement, and sovereignty (Chandrashekeran, 2021). The covert act of displacing Indigenous peoples from their traditional territories was a characteristic of the colonization of Australia, and unless the rights of Indigenous peoples to the land are respected in the choice of places to establish renewable energy projects, the modern colonization is not so different. Another vital component of most environmental justice discussions is indigenous sovereignty, particularly in relation to the territories as well as natural resources. The lack of Indigenous participation in renewable energy conversations demonstrates a larger issue of Indigenous rights and settler colonialism that objectifies land as an asset rather than a Mi’kmaq practice of spiritual sustenance. Pre-Columbian farming practices which have sustained ecosystems for thousands of years must be primary components of the renewable energy revolution in Australia that not only protects land rights of the Indigenous people but their indigenous knowledge as well.

Comparison of the Two Media Representations

In its production history, Neighbours, an Australian television drama series, has underrepresented Aboriginal affairs and overrepresented Aboriginal affairs by stereotyping them. Suburban drama and interpersonal relationships have remained the main themes of the show while Indigenous voices have often only been seen as an aside (Chandrashekeran, 2021). In instances where Indigenous characters have been depicted at all, they have been depicted in a stereotyped manner and out of context, and this has simply reflected other developments in the media where Indigenous issues are only represented as seen through a mainstream viewpoint. Despite occasional attempts at realism, the tone of Neighbours is primarily escapist entertainment which normalizes rather than questions hegemonic representations and is apolitical in its portrayal of Indigenous characters. On the other hand, the article “Australia’s Renewable Energy Revolution” explores the technical and economic transformation towards renewable energy system in Australia (Urzedo et al., 2024). While it gives an all-encompassing view of Canada’s development and prospects in renewable power, it erases Indigenous concerns by failing to address the effect of these initiatives on Indigenous territory and incorporation of Indigenous expertise in these. Although the overall mood of the article is positive and advertises technological progress and potential for investment, there is no discussion on the impact on first nations people and their territories from large scale energy projects.

Neighbours and the renewable energy article show or embody wider culture and society values or treatment of Indigenous Australians in differing manners (Holmes Garas & Richardson, 2021). Thus, the show’s sparse portrayal of Indigenous characters raises the question of stereotypical dismissal of Indigenous concerns in culture and media. On the other hand, excluding Indigenous voices from the renewable energy article is symptomatic of a political and social situation in which Indigenous concerns and inputs are systematically erased when the topic of national advancement and innovation is raised.

Conclusion

The film, Neighbours and the renewable energy article all silence Indigenous issues differently, as supported by the analysis of the texts. Through the limited and occasional stereotyped portrayals of Indigenous people, Neighbours fails to explore the Indigenous voice and identity in a comprehensive and inclusive manner this showcases the problem of Indigenous underrepresentation in media content. Likewise, the renewable energy article provides data on Australia’s advancement in green technology while overlooking the Indigenous people and rights when it comes to energy development, marking a failure in recognizing Indigenous rights within the nation’s discourses.

It is important for Indigenous Australians’ media portrayal in all media representation as this will help in the reforming of perception of common Australians towards their fellow Australians of Indigenous decent and progress the process of reconciliation. Media plays a dual role in reinforcing and challenging colonial narratives though it might reinforce stereotype and erasure, it can also empower indigenous voices and effect social transformation, toward productive Indigenous possibility and a semantic improvement of the discourse. 

Reference list

Chandrashekeran, S. (2021). Rent and reparation: how the law shapes Indigenous opportunities from large renewable energy projects. Local Environment, 26, 379 - 396. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2020.1861590.

Coren fund, (2024) Australia’s Renewable Energy Revolution: The Road to 100% Clean Energy https://corenafund.org.au/australias-renewable-energy-revolution

Crocetti, A., Larrakia, B., Islande, K., Yorta, M., Wakaya, Y., Backholer, K., & Browne, J. (2023). Media coverage of commercial industry activities impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, 2018–2022. Health Promotion International, 38. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daad157.

Fredericks, B., Bradfield, A., Nguyen, J., & Ansell, S. (2021). Disrupting the colonial algorithm: Indigenous Australia and social media. Media International Australia, 183, 158 - 178. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X211038286.

Holmes, D., Garas, B., & Richardson, L. (2021). Australian Newspaper Framing of Renewables: The Case of Snowy Hydro 2.0. Environmental Communication, 16, 23 - 42. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2021.1958891.

Imdb, (2024). Neighbours https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088580/

Lowan-Trudeau, G. (2020). Indigenous environmental media coverage in Canada and the United States: A comparative critical discourse analysis. The Journal of Environmental Education, 52, 83 - 97. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2020.1852525.

Riley, B. (2021). Scaling up: Renewable energy on Aboriginal lands in north west Australia. . https://doi.org/10.32613/NRP/2021.6.

Urzedo, D., Pedrini, S., Hearps, C., Dixon, K., & Leeuwen, S. (2022). Indigenous environmental justice through coproduction of mining restoration supply chains in Australia. Restoration Ecology, 30. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13748.