A critical approach to identities in Media Reception Studies

Abstract

The article presents a theoretical discussion concerning the obstacles - created in the management of concepts adopted in studies of media reception and consumption - that prevent the understanding of the link between sociocultural experience and communication practices in the hegemonic processes of structuring the social fabric. We observed that studies that focus on class and gender identities lack the articulation between difference and inequality, as identity issues are usually problematized as issues of differences between individuals and groups without the structural issue of economic inequality being addressed. The concept of social class is the main way to return to the issue of power relations in media appropriations, while we also suggest the concepts of recognition and redistribution proposed by Nancy Fraser.