Cultural Concepts and Popular Culture

Culture

• Culture is a process of cultivation and worship, originally a verb, but now a noun
• Culture is about striving for self-perfection and focuses on ethical, moral, and intellectual growth.
• Matthew Arnold (1800s) viewed culture as a means of personal and intellectual development, emphasizing the importance of art, literature, and philosophy. This was often seen as elitist, implying only those with privilege could achieve it.
• Raymond Williams (1900s) redefined culture to be ordinary, accessible to all individuals.

Popular Culture

• Popular culture is the type of culture favoured by the majority of people
• It can be defined by quantity (liked by most), or quality (left after high culture is subtracted), or as mass culture created for mass consumption.
• Another definition is folk culture, owned by the people for the people. It emphasizes authenticity.
• Popular culture is viewed as a struggle between those in power and those who are not.
• Postmodern popular culture removes the distinction between popular and high culture.

Representation - Semiotic Approach

• Semiotics studies signs and their meanings.
• Denotation is the literal meaning of a sign, while connotation implies meaning. Signs operate within systems of meaning (signifying systems).
• Codes organize signs to create meaning in texts.
• Decoding involves interpreting the coded messages.
• Differing perspectives on meaning include complete acceptance, partial acceptance, and opposition.
• Ferdinand de Saussure linked concepts to speech patterns, exemplified by signified (idea) and signifier (word).

Representation - Discursive Approach

• Power actively creates knowledge.
• Discourse shapes how we think and speak about subjects.
• Discourses encompass meaning and context; they are products of society and culture.
• Truth is associated with power systems, and the "regime of truth" describes how truth is constructed and accepted.

History

• History can be understood as everything that happened, what was interpreted to have happened, or as a systematic study of the past.
• The winners are often remembered in historical accounts, not the "losers."
• Myths simplify complex realities and distort contexts, while erasing struggles and achievements.
• Heritage is the preservation of artifacts, places, buildings, and other things of importance. It sometimes reduces historical complexities to simplified narratives.

Identity

• Essentialism views identity as fixed and inherent, consisting of unchanging characteristics.
• Non-essentialism sees identities as fluid and shaped by relationships, context, and power dynamics.
• Extrinsic identities describe how others perceive us, while intrinsic identities represent how we perceive ourselves.
• Social constructivism emphasizes the role of social interactions, economic conditions, and cultural norms in forming identity.
• Intersectionality considers overlapping social factors in creating unique experiences and inequalities.

Subjectivity

• Subjectivity refers to conscious/unconscious thoughts and self-awareness, influencing action.
• The liberal view sees the individual as autonomous and making rational decisions.
• The subject is influenced by external forces.

Race and Ethnicity

• Race and ethnicity are socially constructed, not biological.
• Race is a classification of people through power struggles.
• Values, traditions, languages, and history shape ethnicity.
• Hybridity is the blending of cultures.
• Stereotypes are simplified and often negative representations that justify inequalities.

Cultural Geography

• Place is influenced by social relations, economics, and cultural practices.
• Place has components like locales (daily settings), locations (influenced by bigger forces), and sense of place (cultural connections).
• Space is viewed through use, experience, and creativity.
• Heterotopia is a space with multiple, shifting meanings.

Consumption

• Consumption has evolved from destruction to a significant human activity.
• Profit, capital, and cultural/social factors shape consumption habits.

The Four Nations

• State = political unit with power and authority.
• Nation=shared identity among people based on language, history, location, religion, etc.
• State-Nation = perfect overlap between nation and state (e.g., most people in a country have shared cultural backgrounds).