Page 151 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 6

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Ideological Approach

Overview

An ideological approach is designed to identify the prevailing belief
system of a genre. Ideology is defined as the system of beliefs or ideas
that help determine the thinking and behavior of a culture. Genres such
as Westerns, quiz shows, news programs, tabloid talk shows, spy pro-
grams, and sports programming send messages about what life is and
what life ought to be. Examining the ideological underpinnings of genres
can provide insight into ways in which a genre shapes the audience’s
expectations and understanding of content.
An ideology may be political in nature. Genres may contain assump-
tions about how the world should operate, who should oversee the world,
and the proper and appropriate relationships among its inhabitants. A
genre can also present a religious ideology—sacred tenets that believers
are expected to follow. Finally, an ideology can be cultural, establishing
standards of success as well as laying out a roadmap that defines how
to get there.
Historical events sometimes invest a popular genre with an ideological
significance. For example, in 2004 Palestinian Ammar Hassan was voted
the winner of Super Star II, an Arab version of American Idol, broad-
cast throughout the Arab world on the satellite channel of the Lebanese
Broadcasting Corporation (LBC). The program held regional contests
throughout the Arab world over twenty-one weeks, with the audience
voting for their favorite singers. Hassan emerged as a cultural hero in
Palestine. West Bank towns and villages set up large television screens in
city centers so that everyone could watch the final program. Mr. Hassan’s
father, Hassan Ahmed Daqrouq, declared, “Palestinians, wherever they
are, they see Ammar as an ambassador for them. The Palestinian people
are not just throwing stones and bombs. In the struggle we have educated

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