Cultural Studies Theory Cultural criticism is a literary theory, which focuses not only on the historical origin of a piece of literature, but on its obvious social, political, and economic influences as well (Meyer 2034). When the culture or context is studied, the motives or tensions, which drive characters’ behaviors, may be accounted for and studied (Crawford). Cultural critics use strategies such as deconstructionism, gender studies, new historicism, and psychology to analyze and evaluate pieces of work (Meyer 2128). Literary texts are not the only thing which cultural critics critique; in fact, they analyze a wide range of items from comic strips, to commercials, to radio talk shows (Meyer 2128). The term culture has been stretched and redefined to include the popular culture of today’s modern day society, as well as the culture we associate with the so-called classics (Smith). Almost all-human activity is defined and influenced by culture, nothing is too minor or major, obscure or pervasive, to escape the range of its analytic vision (Meyer 2035). A well-renowned theorist, Diana Trilling, was a cultural and social critic for over 50 years (Norman). She lived through the Great Depression, the rise and fall of Fascism and Communism, World War II, and Prohibition; Trilling clung to her old-fashion values (Norman). Her writing expressed her interest in esthetics, society, moral values, and the political issues of her day (Norman). Her work, which was published in many ...
In Highbrow, Lowbrow, Levine argues that a distinction between high and low culture that did not exist in the first half of the 19th century emerged by the turn of the century and solidified during the 20th century, and that despite a move in the last few decades toward a more ecumenical interpretation of “culture,” the distinction between high art and popular entertainment and the revering of a canon of sacred, inalterable cultural works persists. In the prologue Levine states that one of his central arguments is that concepts of cultural boundaries have changed over the period he treats. Throughout Highbrow, Lowbrow, Levine defines culture as a process rather than a fixed entity, and as a product of interactions between the past and the present.
It is interesting to see how the different Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism are altered by the text they are describing. For example, I have one volume on Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, and another for Great Expectations, both of which demonstrate the extent to which the object of critique affects the critique itself, such that “deconstruction criticism” in an intellectual vacuum is something different than when a scholar tries to apply it to a particular text, altering both the text as well as the principles of deconstruction. The Awakening gender criticism takes on a different feel from Great Expectation gender criticism even though they are informed by the same principles, because gender in the early Victorian Dickens is different than in the turn of the century American Chopin. In this way the criticism co-constructs with the primary document something different than both the criticism and the original text. Such a syntheses have produced exciting and innovative ideas, refreshing and reviving works from the tombs of academia. Unfor...
Adversity is commonplace for black youth in the inner city. In Patterson’s The Cultural Matrix, there are a plethora of examples that express these various facets of hardship and differentiate the institutional blockades from the cultural obstacles.
... as well as a socially important idea. The theory art imitates life and life imitates art reveals important connections between literary structures and cultural beliefs. Media literature is mirroring important parts of American life and selling the images back with a product attached. However, the cultural and social myths that are being promoted are not always evident on the surface of the text. A new movement to read media literature critically has begun. As the emerging way to view texts is reading them deconstructively, we must promote other critical approaches that allow a more open translation of literature and provide balance to the political act of reading.
Throughout this paper I will be discuss and describe these three articles about Stuart Hall cultural studies theory the Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms from Media, Culture and Society, then the Cultural Studies in the Future tense and Sexing the Self: Gendered Positions in Cultural Studies theory.
Right now, as I write this essay, I am listening to “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears from the album Songs From The Big Chair. This is an example of my culture. The music I listen to, that has been passed down from my parents, is part of my everyday life and defines me as a human being. It’s not just the music itself, but the style of music. It differentiates me from other cultures, such as Spanish, as they listen to a perceivably different type of music. The fact that I value this record so much reveals the values of my culture. Culture is defined as the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. In other words, culture is the art a community surrounds itself with, the clothes they wear, the traditions they hold, the words they speak, etc. It is their way of life.
“Culture” is a term that over the years, has taken many forms, served many purposes and has been defined in a variety of contexts. At the rise of the industrial era, inhabitants of rural areas began to migrate to cities, thus starting urbanization. As this new era began to unfold, urbanization, mass production, and modernization became key ingredients in the transformation of culture. As more people became literate and the production of mass media such as magazines, pamphlets, newspapers etc. increased, many had the option and desire to identify collectively – popular culture began to rise. Popular or “mass” culture can be described as a “dynamic, revolutionary force, breaking down the old barriers of class, tradition, taste, and dissolving
It is increasingly clear that media and culture today are of central importance to the maintenance and reproduction of contemporary societies. Cultures expose society to different personalities, provide models, which display various forms of societal life and cultivate various ways to introduce people into dominant forms of thought and action. These are the types of activities integrate people into society and create our public sphere. Media and technology surround our society; engrained into the fabric of our existence so much so, that it has become hard to find an aspect of life not influenced by its effects. For this reason, media controllers, wield extreme power and influence over the lives of everyday people. Although, they increasingly continue to feed the audience trash, despite their authority as the creator of our social/cultural interactions, and justify their actions by calling themselves industries. Reducing themselves to just businesses whose sole purpose is to create a profit. This admittance of what they feel to be their true purpose however does not hinder their control and power but instead adds to it. Creating a need for there to be some way to analyze and discuss whether they are using their position and power wisely. Filling this void, scholars have theorized ways for individuals to be critical of the media that they intake. One of these critical theories is the “Culture Industry” theory. Using Cultural Theory, as well as other complementary neo Marxist theories, it is possible to determine how Stacy Peralta, once urban youth culture advocate, became incorporated into the superstructure through media use, thus making him a tool for the continued commoditization of society, and a youth marketer for industries l...
In his essay, “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” James Rachels argues that cultural relativism is an unsatisfactory moral theory because it is based upon an invalid argument, if cultural relativism were true, this would have some troubling and implausible consequences, and there are some moral rules common to all societies. In this short paper, I will argue that moral objectivism is a more satisfactory moral theory than ethical relativism.
Popular culture is often dismissed as frivolous, unimportant or simply mindless entertainment, both by media critics and by academics. However, it is important to examine and think critically about popular culture and what it can tell us about the society that we live in. In the specific case of the relationship between gender and popular culture, popular culture is informed by the way gender is structured and the structure of gender is, in part, reinforced by popular culture.
Another cultural and historical aspect brought up in “A Modest Proposal” is the attitude the public held for landowners. Swift writes, “I grant this food [children cooked] will be somewhat dear, and therefore very proper for Landlords, who, as they have already devoured most of their Parents, seem to have the best Title to the Children (12).” Here, Swift is implicating that Landlords consumed the funds and livelihoods that parents had to support their family. This line condemns landlords for the oppressive actions they practice, like charging high rent fees to impoverished families, without any regard to the family. Finally, Swift refers to the tension between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, when he ironically suggests, “....there
Psychology is the study of different behaviors and acts of each individual based on the way they are raised and brought up. Cultural psychology is specified as the study of behaviors and actions based on different cultures and traditions. The world is full of cultures. Each culture attempts to have its own psychological belief when it comes to different matters and events. Some cultures agree on some matters; while they disagree on others. Almost every culture view things differently. Yet sometimes they decide to accept these differences, and sometimes they do not. Also, some cultures view some psychological matters at the same level unexpectedly.
Stuart Hall, “Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms” from Media, Culture and Society, Raymond Williams and E.P Thompson summarize about the way they saw culture, they refer it to the way of life and saw mass media as the main role in capitalist society. Williams’s perspective, his ideas was referred to culture as to social practice, he saw “culture as a whole way of life” and as to structuralism that makes the concept of the “structure of feeling“(Stuart Hall, “Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms” 1980). William was influenced in the seventy by Gramsci’s but, Williams became familiarly with Gramsci dominate and at the end of the 1970’s hegemony became the central concept of cultural studies. Thompson main idea was cultural focus, but mostly on social
Kroeber, A. and C. Klockhohn, Culture: A Critical Review of Concept and Definition New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change” (John Podhoretz). It encompasses the advertisements we see on T.V, the clothes we wear, the music we listen too, and it’s the reason Leonardo DiCaprio has not won an Oscar yet. It defines and dictates the desires and fears of the mainstream members of society; and it is so ingrained into our lives that it has become as natural as breathing. Moreover, adults never even bat an eyelash at all the pop culture and advertising that surrounds them since it has become just another part of everyday life. Pop culture is still somewhat seen as entertainment enjoyed by the lower class members of society; but pop culture standards change over time. A notable example of this is the sixteenth century author, William Shakespeare, since his works were considered pop culture, entertainment that could be enjoyed by everyone, but now they are considered literary classics. While pop culture encompasses most aspects of our lives, its influence is most obvious through each generations reaction to media,