Abstract:
This study examines coverage of lane-Finch in popular Canadian newspapers in
2007. It explores the often-negative representations of the community through conceptual
frameworks based on the work of Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes and Edward Said.
The question it attempts to answer is: What knowledge and power relationships are
embedded within depictions of lane-Finch in popular Canadian newspapers in 2007? The
methodology is a version of critical discourse analysis based on Foucault's The
Archaeology of Knowledge. It finds that predominantly-negative connotations of the
neighbourhood are reinforced through the perpetuation of dominant discourses, the use of
"expert" knowledge sources, and the discounting of subjugated knowledges or livedexperiences
of residents. The study concludes by suggesting where further research
within the realm of popular culture and community identity can be directed.
