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Methods
The examination of the large and varied media output associated with the commemoration of 1807 requires a flexible set of methodologies. These methods of assessing data will be based upon three areas: use of images, social context and language.
Comprehending the commissioning, production, content and audience reception of all forms of media, throughout the bicentenary of 1807, provides a means of detailing the 'media memories' of abolition and enslavement.
Key Theories
- Semiotics - The analysis of the manner in which signs are read and understood by individuals and groups.
- Critical discourse analysis - A study of the way language is used to define and describe.
- Cultural studies - The assessment of how particular ideas within society are produced, exchanged, accepted and revised.
- Performance and performativity - The explanation of how behaviour in society is enacted and the way in which language operates to shape and create.
