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Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science

ISSN Online: 2576-0548 ISSN Print: 2576-0556 CODEN: JHASAY
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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2023.07.032

How Identities Are Constructed in 8 Mile?

Yuan Qin

Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China.

*Corresponding author: Yuan Qin

Published: August 23,2023

Abstract

8 Mile is a film based on the rapper Eminem, in which the main character Jimmy, as a white man, succeeds in a rap culture dominated by the black community, which is tied to the environment he finds himself in and the people around him. This essay sought to explore how identity is influenced by environment, class and culture. This essay analysed episodes such as the conversation between Jimmy and his mother's lover Greg about work, Wink leaving Jimmy and others to join Future World, the battle between Jimmy and Papa Doc, and Jimmy's attitude towards country music, and makes the following four points. Firstly, social identity is given by society, and people will take the initiative to adapt to society and construct their identity in a flexible manner. Secondly, people will maintain their positive social identities through certain behaviours. Thirdly, class also acts as the construction of identity, and in 8 Mile, a collective identity based on class is more cohesive than racial identity. Fourthly, the multicultural context of the film allows one to skilfully analyse and integrate multiple cultures and construct new cultural identities, and this multicultural exchange is presented in the composition of Eminem's fan base.

Keywords

Social Identity, Identity Construction, Ethnic Identity, Cultural Identity, Out-group, In-group, 8 Mile

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How to cite this paper

How Identities Are Constructed in 8 Mile?

How to cite this paper: Yuan Qin. (2023) How Identities Are Constructed in 8 MileJournal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science7(7), 1417-1420.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2023.07.032