Task 1

Ghost town, the song produced by the specials, was released on the 12th of June 1981. The song spent three weeks at number 1 and a total of 10 weeks in the top 40. All three major uk music magazines awarded the song single go the year in 1981. the specials were a British band signed to the label 2 tone. Their specific genre of music was ska/ two tone which was influenced by Jamaican culture.

Task 2

The song was written about the decline in Coventry, which is where the band grew up as well as the scenes seen on their uk tour where they saw numerous amounts of shops becoming closed down as well as violence spreading. At the time the song was released the uk saw a spread of riots caused by racial tensions, as many ethnic minority communities suffered from poor housing and low wages as well as police powers being abused. These riots lead the governments attention to help the unemployed.

Task 3

The music video demonstrates an empty city which would usually have been filled with people. The band were in a car driving around this empty town joyfully singing and dancing to the lyrics. During the line ‘why must the youth fight against themselves’ shadows of people fighting is shown to demonstrate the scenes seen throughout the uk.

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I wanted to emphasise the loneliness by using very empty space with the people being at MS to XLS. I also used empty places to show that there is nobody else around.

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COLONIALISM– When a country is acquring control over another country, often occupying it with settlers.

POST COLONIALISM– studying something set in a colonized country or deals with post colnialism issues such as economic, political or cultural.

DIASPORA– the dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland.

BAME– a UK term used to refer to the ethnic minority groups (black, asian etc)

DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS (GILROY)– the internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society.

CULTURAL ABSOLUTISM / RACIAL ESSENTIALISM– a belief in a genetic or biological essence that defines all members of a racial category

CULTURAL SYNCRETISM– When aspects of different cultures merge together to make something new and unique.

ORIENTALISM (SAID)– 1978 book by Edward W. Said, in which the author developed the idea of “Orientalism” to define the West’s historically patronizing representations of “The East”

APPROPRIATION– (Cultural) is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture by members of another culture.

CULTURAL HEGEMONY– The domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class

THE PUBLIC SPHERE (HABERMAS)– he public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action.

THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING IN TERMS OF FAIR REPRESENTATION OF MINORITY GROUPS / INTERESTS– Public service broadcasting (PBS) can be biased when representing ethnic minority groups which causes society to create stereotypes and misunderstandings. Their role is to represent minorities correctly.