Cultural Studies

Question 1

Different Meanings of Culture
Name four approaches

Answer 1

• traditional approach
• neutral approach
• culture of particular nation
• different cultures within a nation

Question 2

Traditional approach
-definition and critic

Answer 2

• culture as growing towards perfection
• critic: brings about value judgements:
• one culture is “better” than another
• one person/ society has got “more culture” than another

> This approach is not neutral

• connection to power structures in society
• some have more power to decide what counts as culture
• power to exclude people, that they consider less “cultured”

Question 3

Neutral approach
-definiton and critic

Answer 3

• a particular realm where human creativity expresses itself / humanity’s creative output
• literature, art, music, film…
• Example: Ministry of Culture

> rather descriptive and non-judgmental approach
Still, equating culture with art ultimately passes by much
other cultural activity.

Question 4

Culture of a particular nation
- definition

Answer 4

• culture as a ‘whole way of life’: encompassing all activities/practices of all members of society

> open, inclusive, no value judgements

Question 5

Different cultures within a nation

Answer 5

• differentiation between different cultures within society
• paying attention to the ways in which people can be different from each other: gender, ‘race’/ethnicity, class, age-group, region of origin …

> attempt at celebrating difference, drawing attention to power imbalances because of difference(s)

Question 6

Relevance for Cultural Studies

Answer 6

1. Traditional approach
   - rejected/ questioned by Cultural Studies
2. Neutral Usage
   (- is also part of what Cultural Studies analyse)
3. Culture of a Particular Nation & 4. Different Cultures within one nation
   - particularly relevant to Cultural studies-

Question 7

T.S. Eliot “The Three Senses of Culture”

Answer 7

Hirachy: Culture of a whole society is valued higher than individual culture

1. Culture of a whole society
2. Culture of a group or class
3. Culture of the individual

> Interdependence: achnowledges the individual activities and practices contributing to culture
Eliot uses ‘culture’ more openly than the traditional approach but is still fairly critical of the expansion of the term ‘culture’.

Question 8

Simon During: Definition of Culture Studies

Answer 8

How can we define Cultural Studies?
• Cultural Studies are “engaged”

What does this ‘engagement’ mean more concretely?
1. “political, critical”
> try to uncover injustice, power-imbalances, hierarchies leading to inequality and exclusion
2. “[aim] to enhance and celebrate cultural experience”
> communicating enjoyment in cultural variety and encouraging everyone to take part
3. “[aim] to deal with culture as part of everyday life”
> open to all forms culture can take

Question 9

Cultural Studies approach to culture

Answer 9

Culture Studies use “culture” in an open, broad sende

3. Culture of a particular nation: “a whole way of life”
4. Different Cultures Within one Nation: differences between people or groups of people

Question 10

Key characteristics to Culture Studies

Answer 10

• attention to power structures and social inequalities resulting from them
• promoting enjoyment of culture
• view of culture as open to outside influences/ globalisation
• broad, inclusive view of culture
• attention to diversity within (apperent) unity
• no value judgement
• interest in the individual and its contributions to culture/ individual identity formation

Question 11

Personal identity

Answer 11

Definition:
- sense of self/ sense of who we are and how we relate to others
> shaped by culture, society, the family, peer groups…
> Factors such as gender, class, ethicity, age, sexuality, religion etc. are important for identity formation, too.

The way these categories are understood is strongly influenced by culture and society, including the family, peer groups etc.

Question 12

Criterion of difference

Answer 12

all the ways in which people can be different from each other (e.g. in terms of age, gender, class, ethnicity..)

Question 13

Criterion of sameness

Answer 13

all the way in which people can be similar (sharing certain tastes, abilities, emotions, opinions, attitudes …)

Question 14

Traditional notion of identiy

Answer 14

-“essentialist”
-This means that identity is seen as naturally given, fixed and unchangeable.

> NOT cultural studies perspective

Question 15

Cultural Studies perspective on identity

Answer 15

Identity is not naturally given and fixed but constructed

• individual is free to choose identity/ identities (within certain limits)
• individuals can have more than one identity, depending on the context
• identity is not fixed but can be changed (element of choice)

> once identity has been constructed, it is represented (shown/ reflected) to others

Question 16

Representation

Answer 16

• Conveying meaning to others
• part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture (Stuart Hall)

for cultural studies: once identity has been constructed, it is represented (shown/ reflected) to others

Question 17

Two systems of representation (Stuart Hall)

Answer 17

1. mental concepts we have of things we see and experience (concepts represent reality)
   E.g.: cat = animal living in a house, four legs
2. language or other ways in which to communicate our mental concept to others (how we share our mental concepts)
   E.g.: “cat”, “Katze”, picture of a cat

Question 18

Language
(for cultural studies)

Answer 18

In a very broad way:
- spoken & written language (narrow way)
- images, fashion, music (…)

• language communicating meaning
• not naturally given and does not represent reality in a straightforward, unproblematic way
• constructed sign system: code

Question 19

Code

Answer 19

Constructed sign system
This ‘code’ mediates between the world and the ‘mental concepts’ of it which are shared in a society.

• codes stabilize meaning as it is, thereby to some extent conventionalized
• at some point people agreed to attach certain meanings to objects/ concepts, just as they agreed to use certain words for them
• meaning has to be fixed to an extent to make communication possible

Question 20

Culture
- code

Answer 20

Culture can then be seen as consisting of the codes shared by a particular society (here: similar perceptions of the world, creating sameness). They govern the translation between objects, concepts and language.

Question 21

Identity can be (usually is) represented in certain ways

Answer 21

• Representation of identity does not only rely on actual language (it can: diaries (…))
• individuals use objects/ products/ practices that go beyond language in the strictest sense of the word in order to convey meaning and represent their identity

Question 22

Identity can be (usually is) represented in certain ways
- system of representation

Answer 22

• there needs to be a certain agreement in a culture about the meanings assigned to these objects/ products/ practices
  > system of representation (naturalised and fixed nature of meaning)
• most of the objects/ products/ practices we come across every day are associated with rather fixed meanings and are easy to understand
  > This system to some extent determines the identity positions that can be adopted

Question 23

How do objects attain meaning?
(identity)

Answer 23

Basic difference from/ oppositions to other objects which could be used instead in the given situation

Question 24

Circuit of Culture
(Stuart Hall and Paul du Gay)

Answer 24

• identity and its connection to representation cannot be seen in isolation, further social/ cultural/ political factors are necessary
• all elements are interrelated
• you can start at any point and go from element to element in any order
• establishes relations between culture and the economic sphere

Question 25

Circuit of Culture
(Stuart Hall and Paul du Gay)
- name all five elements

Answer 25

representation
identity
production
consumption
regulation

Question 26

Circuit of Culture
(Stuart Hall and Paul du Gay)

Answer 26

• shows how the construction and representation of personal identity is connected to the actual production and consumption of products
• demonstrated how identity constructions are regulated (regulation), for instance through financial resources but also through the limitations posed by the relatively fixed meanings attached to products

Question 27

Production (Circuit of Culture)

Answer 27

• (physical) production process of the object concerned
• production of identity position/s people can take by buying the product

identity positions are for instance created through advertising (frequently features characters and a story consumers are meant to identify with)

Question 28

Consumption (Circuit of Culture)

Answer 28

• buying and using the product
• consuming the identity position on offer (accepting the identity position by buying and using the product)

Question 29

Regulation (Circuit of Culture)

Answer 29

• rules and laws governing the production and use of the object
• financial resources (if you cannot afford an expensive product, you cannot use it to represent your identity)
• identity construction is also regulated by the rather fixed meaning conventionally assigned to objects

Question 30

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