Cultural Studies focuses on two particular systems of meaning-making, i.e. a set of beliefs, ideas, practices, etc. These two systems are Humanism and Poststructuralism.
In particular, Humanism has been extremely important to Western culture’s development, and so has become naturalised. Humanism therefore can be considered to be a ‘common sense’ way of interacting with the world; Poststructuralism was created in response to critically analyse and engage with Humanism. (Sullivan, n.d.)
Humanism is defined by Mansfield and Fuery as “the basic value system of the traditional humanities… most closely associated with the study of human arts and cultures, literature, history, fine arts, philosophy, and languages”. (as cited in Sullivan, n.d., pp.1) This means that humanism is “a human-centered system”. (Sullivan, n.d., pp.2) Humanism is atheistic, it was created in response to the lessening belief in God as the centre of the universe, during the Enlightenment (17th-18th centuries). (Sullivan, n.d.)
Humanism can be considered a type of universalism. Habermas, who Sullivan (n.d.) describes as a ‘common-sense’ style philosopher, argues that at the most basic level humans all share similar characteristics - that is, that we are all human. Therefore our different ethnicities, gender, sexuality, class, etc. is secondary to the fact that we are all human and so are capable of “enlightened progressive thinking”. (Sullivan, n.d., pp.12)
Most importantly in regards to Cultural Studies, Humanism is rooted in dichotomous logic - it operates on a binary level or “a series of oppositions” (Sullivan, n.d., pp.13) of same/opposite or true/not-true. For example, Mind/Body, Reason/Emotion, or Man/Woman. (Sullivan, n.d.; Spencer, 2004)
Cultural Stud...
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...ognitions, comparisons, exclusions, demarcations, divisions, alignments and realignments.” (Spencer, 2004, pp.23)
Cultural Studies aims to engage with Humanist theory, i.e. the natural, common sense way of looking at the world, by using Poststructuralism to disrupt and denaturalise the Humanist view.
Works Cited
Belsey, C. (2002). Post-structuralism: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Grosz, E. A. (1994). Volatile bodies: Toward a corporeal feminism. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Lewis, J. (2002). The Body. In Cultural studies: The basics (pp. 294-304). London: SAGE Publications.
Spencer, B. (2006). The body as fiction/Fiction as a way of thinking. Ph.D. Thesis. Retrieved from http://www.bethspencer.com/body-as-fiction.html
Sullivan, N. (n.d.). Humanism and Poststructuralism. In Lecture notes. Sydney: Macquarie University.
Bordo, Susan. "Beauty (Re)discovers the male body." Bordo, Susan. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Ninth Edition. Bedford/St.Martin's, 2011. 189-233.
The book, Humanism: A Very Short Introduction, most definitely gives a clear and precise understanding of what exactly Humanism is and consists of. There are several different meanings behind the term and it means more than a person’s opinion on whether or not God truly exists. Humanists are very open-minded and believe that science and reasoning are tools that should be used to evaluate the human lifestyle. The history of humanism dates back to Ancient Greece and the days of Confucius who believed in the Golden Rule which is well known as being, “Do not unto another that you would not have him do unto you” (Law, 9). It appears ironic that both religious groups and humanists embrace such rule. In the beginning of the book, the author gives seven characteristics to help the reader better understand what humanism actually is.
Butler, Judith. Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of “Sex.” New York: Routledge, 1993.
Nealon, Jeffrey T., and Susan Searls Giroux. "Culture." The Theory Toolbox: Critical Concepts for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. 51-88. Print
...ey concepts in cultural studies. In Cultural studies: Theories and practice (pp. 8-12). London, England: Sage.
Humanism was a revival of the ancient Greek and Roman thought. It was a way of praising humans rather than divine beings. Some famous humanists include Petrarch and Niccolo Machiavelli. Their goal was to expand the teachings of liberal arts like the Greek and Roman.The humanists did achieve their goal in the Renaissance.
...ing: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion." Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex." 121-156.New York: Routledge, 1993.
the body. The notions and events that occur in the essay provoked emotional responses ranging
Cultural anthropology involves exploring social and cultural variations of humans. Linguistic anthropology studies how language shapes communication. Archaeology is the study of earlier cultures by analyzing and interpreting material remains. Biological anthropology includes topics such as genetics, evolution, and growth and development. Cultural anthropology can give a more in depth perspective on how different cultures, religions, and nations interact with their children.
Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch is a book addressing culture. To begin it is helpful to establish what exactly culture is, Crouch defines it as “Culture is, first of all, the name for our relentless, restless human effort to take the world as it’s given to us and make something else.” (pg. 22), he also says “Culture is not just what human beings make of the world; it is not just the way human beings make sense of the world; it is, in fact, part of the world that every new human being has to make something of.” (pg. 25). There are three parts to this book: Culture, Gospel, and Calling.
Waskul, D., & Vannini, P. (2006). Introduction: The body in symbolic interaction. In D. Waskul & P. Vannini (Eds.), Body/ Embodiment: Symbolic Interaction and the Sociology of the BodyRetrieved from http://ia600800.us.archive.org/19/items/BodyembodimentSymbolicInteractionAndTheSociologyOfBody/BodyEmbodiment-WaskulVannini.pdf
Humanism, a completely new perspective in life emerged during the Renaissance. Once humanist figures, such as Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Erasmus, spread their knowledge about it, people started to adopt the thought of humanism, secularism, and individualism. They realized how important and valuable humans are in this world. Once humanism became more popular, it was
Before the civic spirit and individuality evident and necessary to the Renaissance came to fruition, there had to have been something to trigger a change in the mentality of the medieval civilization. The medieval manorialism fostered illiteracy and ignorance and a very narrow view of the outside world, people did not question their place, the church, or the need to prepare for the after life. The "awakening" of the Renaissance came after the dawn of a new Roman Empire way of thinking.. Humanism is the intellectual, literary and scientific movement of the 14th to the 16th centuries without which the Renaissance would never have evolved. Humanism is a rediscovery and reevaluation (analysis) of classical civilization and the application of the aspects of this civilization to intellectual and social culture in the current time. It is a blend of concern for the history and actions of human beings, mainly the ancient Greeks and Romans, such as, Cicero, Ceaser, and Augustine, with the belief that man was at the center of the universe. Contrary to Christian teachings, humanist believe that man is subject and creator of his own destiny, governed by ideals of beauty, grace, and harmony and the glorification of individual freedom. These ideas provide the vehicle, in which the transition from medieval thinking of vassalage (servitude) and the afterlife to a return to the principles of the Pax Romana occurred. Christian humanism came to mean individualism and the value of life in the present.
The word humanism is a relatively broad term described by Merriam-Webster as, “a system of values and beliefs that is based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion”. While this seems a perfectly reasonable definition for the present day, it does not adequately apply to medieval society. If such a definition was used by a person from the 12th century, that person would likely be looked at incredulously and then swiftly called a heretic or a blasphemer. The role of religion in medieval society is too ingrained in the medieval world. Richard Southern provides a more likely definition of medieval humanism. He describes humanism as having “elements of dignity, order, reason and
Encarta Dictionary says that Humanism is a system of thought that centers on human beings and their values, capacities and worth. Encarta also goes on the say that, in philosophy, humanism is an attitude that emphasizes the dignity and worth of an individual. A basic premise of humanism is that people are rational beings who possess within themselves the capacity for truth and goodness. I see myself as a being a humanist through everyday life. I always try to see the good in a person when he/she makes me angry or sad, and say I to myself that maybe that person has had a bad day and living life is difficult at the moment. Socrates was even an early humanist of sorts. He can be quoted as saying, "to know the good is to do the good." He believed that nobody voluntarily commits an evil act because evil comes from ignorance, ignorance being not stupidity, but having a lack of knowledge. If all people thought as humanists, would peace be spread across the globe?