neomarxism and culture Flashcards
what is neo Marxism?
the developments made in the marxist debate in 1960s to 1980s.
they recognise that culture does possess some independence from economic influence and there is no straightforward correspondence between class + culture.
what does Raymond Williams say generically about culture and society?
he questions 2 main aspects of M theory but ultimately his work owes much to it
1) he argues there is a fixed relationship between culture and power which is misleading: in reality it is less clear. he denies that econ factors influence culture in a straightforward way. he believes there is more room for individual and group creativity
2) argues that M theories were too concerned with art and literature. he argues instead sociologists should use ‘culture’ to refer to the whole way of life, the general social processes
what does Williams say about working class culture?
w/c did develop their own distinct lifestyles and institutions.
he says the basis of w/c culture was acting collectively and ind. members lacked strength and life chances to achieve success alone.
:- to him, w/c culture has taken shape through the collective democratic institution - trade unions, labour party etc.
what does Williams say about the Bourgeois culture?
tends to be individualistic,. he recognises a degree of overlap between the 2 and recognises a constant interaction which has an impact on the development of each.
… he denies that cultures are a product of class structure rather a reaction by ppl responding to ind. circumstances
what is meant by the term ‘residual culture’?
the culture of a class which is declining but still important.
Williams developed this idea when he denies the existence of a totally dom ruling class culture
what is meant by the term ‘emergent culture’?
cultures of new groups outside the ruling class
what is said about these residual and emergent cultures?
they can either be oppositional or alternative to dom culture.
to him, there is nothing inevitable about groups outside the ruling class either accepting or rejecting dom cultures.
what are some strengths and weaknesses of Williams?
+ his ideas encouraged other writers to take w/c more seriously and move away from deterministic approach and take into account specific historical circumstances and human creativity
- many contemporary theorists argue it is difficult to distinguish such a thing as w/c culture and they deny the existence of a large scale collective culture. (questions Williams relevance)
what is the birmingham centre for contemporary cultural studies (BCCCS)?
the most influential source of neo-marxist ideas on culture in 1970s/80s. the CCCS studied youth cultures in detail for the first time, playing a vital role in moving neo-marxist analysis of w/c culture
what is resistance through ritual?
a study by Clarke, Hall and Roberts and Jefferson looked at youth culture and argued that material circumstances impose limits on the sorts of cultures ppl can develop however, they allowed room for the impact of human creativity
what do Clarke et al say about what culture actually is?
the ‘culture’ of a group/class is the distinctive ‘way of life’.
the meanings, values and ideas are embodied in institutions, social relations, systems of beliefs, mores objects and material life
what do they say about individuals and culture?
they are born into a particular culture and these tend to shape the way they see the world = ‘maps of meaning’. however these change as history changes and as members of social groups actively create cultures and innovate. but, groups can’t just create new cultures, they always relate to experiences and sets of material circumstances and can be shaped by previous cultures.
cultures exist in hierarchal relationship to one another.
what does Gramsci say about hegemony?
in order to achieve political and cultural domination (hegemony) powerful classes always had to struggle against competing cultures and make compromises with other ,less powerful classes.
dom culture can always be opposed and hegemony is never complete.
what do Clarke et al say similar to Gramsci’s view?
“other cultural configurations will not only be less powerful to this dom order: they will enter into struggle with it, seek to modify, negotiate, resist or even overthrow its reign - its hegemony. the struggle between classes over material and social life thus always assumes a continuous struggle over the distribution of cultural power”
what is said about subordinate cultures?
they will generally try to win space, make room for their own distinctive lifestyles, values and institutions away from influence of more powerful cultures. e.g. the trad. w/c neighbourhood with its distinctive physical layout of houses, corner shops, pubs and parks.
the w/c :- exerted considerable informal control over their environment
what do Clarke et al say about youth subcultures?
they often represent creative attempts to try to win or maintain autonomy or space from dom culture.
they win ‘cultural space in the neighbourhood and institutions, leisure, recreation and street corners’
they’re partly shaped by the parent culture of the class from which they originate.
they create their own distinctive style (dress, music, taste) to ‘solve’ their problems however this is only achieved in an imaginary way - problems at a concrete level remain unsolved.
What did Mike Brake and Dick Hebdige say about this in their studies?
Brake - ‘the sociology of youth culture’ described as ‘magical’
- ‘subculture; the meaning of style’ suggested youths attempt to show active disdain for the dom culture thru their choice of dress/music
what are some strengths and weaknesses of the CCCS?
+ the work was important in developing neomarxist approach to culture but also encouraging sociologists to take pop culture seriously
+ analysing dress sense of teddy boys is attempted to integrate elements of semiology in neomarxist studies
- neomarxism has fallen out of fashion as they have been seen as exaggerating the importance of class at the expense of other social divisions
- postmodernists say subcultures are simply an expression of freedom of consumers to create their own culture.
