Portrayals of ethnicities discrimination in education themed movies: a game theoretic analysis
Master Thesis
Συγγραφέας
Τσαμκόσογλου, Συμεών
Tsamkosoglou, Symeon
Ημερομηνία
2018Επιβλέπων
Παραβάντης, ΙωάννηςΠροβολή/ Άνοιγμα
Λέξεις κλειδιά
Movies ; Discrimination ; Critical race theory ; Game theoryΠερίληψη
Ethnicities discrimination and racism are reported to be common in everyday practices, even in modern times. Critical Race Theory implies that racism is a social construct, and since it is constantly imposed on society by its own members, the vicious circle continues. Even though education is considered the key to modifying racist attitudes, there are many cases where discrimination thrives even in classrooms. In this study, Hollywood cinematography, a global ethnographer, is used as a means of documenting how discriminative behaviors are portrayed and represented in education-themed movies. Game Theory, a field most commonly applied in economics and global politics, is employed to model the harmonious or conflictual relationships among the actors that participate in the educational process. The research carried out herein confirmed that racism and discrimination are indeed social constructs, and are represented in education-themed movies through both the stereotypic portrayal of characters as well as the depiction of terms of employment for minority groups in Hollywood. Black, Latinos, Asian and other minorities have fewer opportunities to work in the movie industry, and are in most cases portrayed as misfits, thieves, and gang members, in contrast to Whites who are usually portrayed as exceptional and outstanding members of society. It was also shown that the four atomic game theoretic models (coordination game, battle of the sexes, chicken game, and prisoner’s dilemma) may be applied fruitfully to explain the complicated dynamics that are developed in an education setting.