The Dark Continent then and now. From the land of savages to the land of wars

Abstract

This paper deals with the representation of Africa in selected British opinion-forming periodicals. The study is dedicated to a comparison of the images of the continent and its inhabitants prevailing in the 19th century, exemplified by „The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London”, with contemporary images represented by the British media, such as the BBC’s „Focus on Africa Magazine”. The emphasis lies on an analysis of the stereotypes occurring in the discussed periodicals and a subsequent defining of the similarities as well as differences in the stereotyping of Africa in both pre-colonial and post-colonial periods. Further, their effect on public opinion is emphasised.

Keywords

• Africa
• stereotypes
• racism
• postcolonial studies