EVALUATION REPRESENTATION: GILROY

Gilroy’s postcolonial theory argues that the legacy of empire continues to shape contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity. He suggests that national identities in the West are often constructed around a nostalgic view of the past that excludes or marginalises black and minority ethnic groups. This makes Gilroy’s theory a valuable tool for analysing LFTVDs that either reinforce or challenge these racial hierarchies, especially when exploring whose stories are centred and whose are sidelined.

In Stranger Things, Gilroy’s ideas can be seen in the show’s predominantly white cast and nostalgic vision of small-town 1980s America. While characters like Lucas Sinclair and Principal Coleman are present, they are positioned as minor or supporting characters. Lucas, although part of the core group, is often sidelined and rarely drives the emotional or narrative arcs of the story. This reflects Gilroy’s claim that media texts often centre whiteness as normative while pushing other ethnicities to the margins. The show’s idealised portrayal of the past can also be seen as an example of what Gilroy calls postcolonial melancholia, a longing for a simplified, racially homogeneous national identity that ignores the realities of multiculturalism. Deutschland 83 also largely excludes ethnic diversity from its depiction of Cold War Germany, despite being set in a period and location with increasing migration and multicultural tension. Episode one does introduce General Jackson, but he is at best a background character. This absence supports Gilroy’s view that dominant narratives often erase the historical and contemporary presence of ethnic minorities. These examples show how Gilroy’s theory is highly effective in drawing attention to the racial biases and exclusions that shape the media landscape.

However, Gilroy’s theory also has limitations when applied to fictional television. While he does engage with representations in media, his work focuses more broadly on the cultural and political legacies of empire, and may not fully account for the specific industrial, generic, and narrative conventions that shape character representation in LFTVDs. For example, Stranger Things deliberately references 1980s genre cinema—a period that was itself lacking in racial diversity. The show’s casting may thus be shaped as much by intertextual homage as by an intent to exclude. Similarly, Deutschland 83’s lack of ethnic diversity could reflect not only ideological erasure but also the historical conventions of the spy thriller genre, which often prioritises political intrigue over social representation. Moreover, Gilroy’s theory centres primarily on race and ethnicity and may overlook how these intersect with other identity categories like gender, class, and sexuality, factors that are especially important in multi-layered dramas like Deutschland 83, where Cold War tensions, generational conflict, and gender dynamics also play crucial roles. Finally, Gilroy’s theory doesn’t fully consider how audience interpretation might vary, some viewers may see Lucas as a quietly resilient character or view the show’s racial politics through different cultural lenses.

Therefore, while Gilroy’s theory is extremely useful for highlighting how race and ethnicity are often marginalised in long-form television drama, it is most effective when combined with other theoretical approaches that consider media form, industry pressures, and audience reception. Cultural or intersectional theories can offer a broader perspective on representation, and reception theory can help explore how different viewers engage with racial portrayals. Gilroy provides a powerful lens for interrogating racial exclusion and national identity in media, but a fuller understanding of LFTVDs requires a more multidimensional analytical framework.