Mini Quiz 1 Flashcards
metalinguistics
the study of culture and language
3 meanings of culture that has shifted over time..
1) a whole way of social life
2) a name for “serious” works of music, art, literature and film
2 parts of pop culture
mass culture and folk culture
*lines between the two are often blurry
mass culture
entertainment produced by commercial media
ex) TV, film, music
folk culture
what ordinary people do or make in everyday life
popular culture
the communicative practices of everyday life
-it does not refer directly to a clear cut group of texts or practices, but is a site of struggle between groups and individuals over the production of meaning
when did cultural studies emerge? where? what does it look at?
in the 1950’s in Britain
-looks at social relations and power, asks us to examine our our practices, pleasures, experiences and beliefs in light of broader social structures
why study culture studies?
it is necessarily political as it is concerned with the distribution of social and economic power in the world
-helps us to understand how pop culture works
3 summary points about pop culture
1) power is a central issue for understanding pop culture (critical thinking)
2) it has a history
3) it can be a useful tool in helping us transform our social world
cultural studies helps us move past 3 things..
1) unconscious consumption
2) contemptuous dismissal
3) cynical consumption
1) unconscious consumption
passively taking everything at face value
2) contemptuous dismissal
trying to escape or live outside of commercial culture (this is nearly impossible)
3) cynical consumption
knowing something is ‘bad’ for us but doing it anyway
Kellner reading highligts
- studying subcultures helps us understand group membership, power & oppression of culture
- why pop cult is important to study (critique the media)
- identifies power relations coded in cultural texts
- reveals how people challenge and resist these powers
ideology
reduce social relations of domination and subordination
- makes inequalities seem natural and just
- induces consent to relations of domination
multiculturalist approach
demonstrates how culture reproduces racism, sexism and bias against subordinate classes, social groups and lifestyles
multiperspectival analysis
a broad but guided way for students to examine culture, politics and society
- encourages individual empowerment
- critical to cultural studies
3 ways to analyze media culture.. look at
1) production and political economy of culture
2) textual analysis
3) audience reception and use of media culture
the history of pop culture
- when?
- where?
- how?
when: 18th-19th century
where: Britain.. during the Industrial Revolution
how: shift from agricultural to mechanical, capiltialism & liberal democracy
Industrial Revolution caused the work industry and social lives to change how?
-alienated workers from their products (production lines)
-master and servant laws
-working class struggled to define their lives outside of work.. needed recreation (separated work from home)
-created opportunities for class mobility
-
rational recreation
activities that foster self-improvement and focuses on on the development of discipline, skill, knowledge and moral development
- conservative entertainment
- middle class, 19th century
individualism
the idea or belief that the interest of the individual is the most important
liberalism
a belief that the state will provide equality for all citizens
liberal democracy
emphasizes political and civil freedoms based on notions of individualism
-emphasizes private property rights, market forces, and no interference from the Gov unless it benefits citizens
early capitalism
- colonial exploitation of land & resources
- non-Euro slave labour
- accumulation of wealth enjoyed by few
social fragmentation
- unequal distribution of wealth
- the idea that everything could be bought or sold
class consciousness
recognition that class determines one’s identity and behaviour
working-class consciousness
political awareness in 19th century for worker solidarity and democratic rights (collectivism)
pop culture has been shaped by 3 main things…
1) working class activism
2) middle class reform
3) economic liberalism
culture industry
draws attention to the commodification of culture
- refers to the production of modern culture via modern technologies
- arose during Industrial Revolution
culture industry thesis
Adorno and Horkehimer’s idea that mass media and pop culture are instruments of mass deception that serve capitalist ideologies
3 ways mass deception is achieved
1) instrumental rationality
2) standardization
3) pseudo-individualization
instrumental rationality (the logic of efficiency)
is concerned with critically evaluating actions, instrumental rationality tends to focus on the ‘hows’ of an action, rather than its ‘whys’
-the most efficient way of doing something and making profit
Ex) overuse of the environment
pseudo-individualization
false sense of choice and individuality
ex) American Appearal t-shirt colours
PROS of the culture industry thesis
- draws attention to production in pop culture
- allows us to see the powerful role that pop culture plays in managing social order
CONS of the culture industry thesis
- doesn’t acknowledge individual agency and resistance
- doesn’t pay attention to practices of consumption and the emergence of subcultures
hegemony
ability of ruling class to exert control over subordinate groups without using force or domination but through constant justifications so that inequalities seem legit and natural
- never complete
- subordinate groups can push back
- society’s norms
conspicuous consumption
refers to a pattern of behaviour resulting from increased income and leisure time -consumption symbolizes class distinctions
survivance
indigenous media activism and political resistance
-survival + resistance + persistence
authenicity
a positive quality of genuineness and originality
branding
- trend in early 1990’s
- companies shift their resources from producing goods to producing a corporate image defined by abstract or spiritual qualities
commodity fetishism
describes the “magical” value attributed to objects in a capitalist economy
Marxism
emphasizes the primacy of economic and structures in determining all social activity
