Social Theories Flashcards
New Historcist
Literature cannot be separated from the historical and cultural moment in which it was produced.
Contextual Approach; Literature is deeply intertwined with the historical and cultural context of its time.
Mutual Influence; historical
events shaping literature, and literature contributing to the construction of historical narratives.
Inter(connect)textuality; all texts,
including historical documents and literature, are interconnected.
Social and Power Structures: Literature is seen as a reflection and critique of the power structures, ideologies, and social hierarchies of it time
Interdisciplinary Focus: New Historicism draws from history, sociology, politics, and cultural studies to understand how literary texts interact with the social and political
environments
Focus on Marginalized Voices: Pays attention to whose stories are told and whose are silenced, often highlighting marginalized or suppressed perspectives in literature.
Subversion and Containment: Investigates how literature might initially subvert dominant ideologies but ultimately reinforce the existing social order.
Critical Race Theory
examines how literature reflects, perpetuates, or challenges societal structures of race, racism, and
power.
Whiteness as Norm; white as default, others through stereotype
Racilization: process by
which certain groups are categorized as belonging to a particular race,
Racial Hegemony; The
dominance of one race over
others through cultural,
economic, or political means.
Othering; treating other races different or alien
Structural Racism; system which public stories, intiintiual practice and cultural represention perpetuate racial group inequality
Counter-narrative; story that challenges the dominance cultural or social narrative by providing an alternative perspective, often from a marginalized
Internlized Racism: procces by which individuals from marginalized racial group may acept and live out dominant culutre racist attitudes and sterotypes
Post Colonial
Analyze and understand literature that deals with the effect and aftermath of colonialism. (How it shapes narrative, character,theme)
Key Aspects:
Colonial Legacy; how colonial histories influence literary texts
Identity and Representation; lens scruntinizes of identity, especially how colonialism impacts national, cultural and personal identities
Power Dynamic; power relations between colonizer and the colonized
Resistance and Agency; lens highlights forms of resistance and agency by colonized people
Hybridity and Cultural Exchange; post-colonial criticism often addresses the concept of hybridity which refers to the blending of cultures an identities resulting from colonial encounter
Deconstruction of Dominant Narrtice; challenges the dominan narrtive established by colonial powers, seeking to uncover and criqute bias and assumptions
Gender Theory
Examisn how literature reflects, constructs, and challenges ideas about gender
Soical Construction of gender; created by societal norms rather than being bio determined
Gender Roles; exectations of gender
Gender Performativity; JUDITH BUTLER, gender is a performance rather than innate quality
Toxic Masculinity;
Male Gaze; LAURA MULVEY women veiw from a male perscpective
Heternormativity; hetersexulity is the defualt
intersectionality; KIMBRELE CRENSHAW, interconected natre of soical catgeroizations
Subversion of Gender Roles; defy gender roles to challenge soicetal norms
