| dc.description.abstract | Within this thesis the concept of institutional racism has been analyzed within the first season
of AQUARIUS. The reason this thesis has researched representation lies in the fact that, among
other system of communication, representation forms our culture by exchanging meaning and
language as Stuart Hall notes. Within media representations the representation of institutional
racism has been troublesome, as it often has been too focused on personal prejudice instead of
focusing on the structure of an organization. Through Barthes´ take on semiotics, which he
called mythologies, the research question has been answered of what signifiers represent
institutional racism and how this reflects upon other media representations. Next to the term of
institutional racism the terms of institutional sexism, internalized racism, and passing have been
researched within this thesis as these concepts can be considered effects of institutional racism.
Within the analysis there has been focused on how a dominant ideology is sustained within the
Los Angeles Police Department within AQUARIUS through three sub questions. These sub
questions focus on ´others´ within the Los Angeles Police Department within AQUARIUS, on the
treatment of African-American citizens within AQUARIUS and lastly on how the dominant
ideology is sustained within the Los Angeles Police Department within AQUARIUS. These found
signifiers have, in the results sections, been grouped back into three dominant group of
signifiers to see what the representation of institutional racism within AQUARIUS consists of.
These groups are concluded to be ‘community-control’, ‘preferred-action’, and ‘razzing one
another’ which all allow institutional racism to sustain within the Los Angeles Police
Department within AQUARIUS. | |
