Representation in one of its simplest definitions means ‘the way in which something is shown or described’ (Representation, 2020).

For example, a statue of Queen Victoria outside Buckingham Palace is a representation of the monarchy. To one reader this symbolises the Royal Family as a symbol of quintessential Britishness. To another reader the statue symbolises Britain’s colonial legacy. Cultural theorist Stuart Hall articulates that subjects have no fixed meaning. He states that the meaning of each subject alters from each individual, as a result of the different contextual maps we use, to interpret signs and symbols attached to the subject.

Hall’s Representation Theory argues that ‘it is by our use of things, what we say, think and feel about them – how we represent them – that we give them a meaning'.

‘WE GIVE OBJECTS, PEOPLE AND EVENTS MEANING BY THE FRAMEWORKS OF

INTERPRETATION WHICH WE BRING TO THEM’ (HALL, 2011)

In order to fully understand this theory of representation, it is vital to acknowledge the positions of power held in the construction of these contextual maps, which influence the frameworks we use for interpretation. With this power, fixed perceptions can be created which can have a great influence on social attitudes. For example, the consistent creation of dehumanising imagery of black people created by white supremacist power structures, have fixed harmful stereotypes upon black people for centuries.

These distorted representations systematically maintain systems of ‘racial superiority’ (hooks, 1992) and have contributed to the systematic marginalisation of black people. Although visible representations have the ability to create prejudices, it should be equally understood that the lack of visible representation in itself can have the same, if not, worse effect.