Introduction to Cultural Studies - Week 2

Introduction to Cultural Studies - Week 2

• Course title: Introduction to Cultural Studies
• Week: 2
• Topic: Representation I: Representation and Semiotics
• Instructor: PD Dr. Birte Christ

Registration & Tutorials

• Students should check if registered for the lecture.
• If not registered, students should email the instructor with their matriculation number.
• Students should check if registered for the tutorial.
• If not attending the assigned tutorial, students should email the instructor with their matriculation number and valid reason for absence, as well as two alternative tutorial options.

Today's Topics

• Recap of previous topics
• Justification for using theories and models
• Model for the lecture: The "Circuit of Culture"
• Course schedule
• Representation
• Three representation theories
• Implications of the Constructionist approach
• Legacy of Ferdinand de Saussure
• Semiotics: The general study of signs

Recap

• Definition of 'culture' used in the course
• Concept of multiple cultures
• Relevance/irrelevance of hierarchies (high/low culture) in Cultural Studies
• Relationship between Literary Studies and Cultural Studies

Why Do We Need Theories and Models?

• Theories make assumptions explicit
• Theories provide concepts and vocabulary for analysis
• Theories allow for precise and intersubjective analysis
• Theories act as lenses, offering specific perspectives (but limiting others)
• Different theories produce different results

Models

• Formal or graphical representations of theories or components
• Focus on relevant characteristics of a specific theory
• Help in understanding complex theories

The "Circuit of Culture" Model

• Includes elements like representation, regulation, identity, consumption, and production.
• Visual representation of how these elements interact and influence each other, with arrows connecting each element indicating relationships or influences.

Representation

• Something represents something else
• A picture of a bird represents a bird.
• A politician represents their constituents.
• Representation is about creating meaning through language (Hall 16, 28).
• Visual of cyclical model of representation, regulation, consumption, production, identity

Three Theories of Representation

• Intentional approach: Holds that signs/words mean what their creators intend them to mean.
• Reflective approach: Representation is a mirror of reality. While appropriate for iconic signs, it fails in application to symbolic signs.
• Constructionist approach: Meaning is not derived from intent or the object being represented; rather, it's constructed through the system of representation.

Implications of the Constructionist Approach

• Language shapes, instead of just reflects, how we experience the world
• People with different linguistic backgrounds see the world differently
• Language, in this approach, determines how we understand and experience reality.

The Legacy of de Saussure

• Ferdinand de Saussure: Swiss linguist credited as the "father" of modern linguistics and semiotics
• Published Cours de linguistique générale (General Course in Linguistics) in 1916
• Key ideas for semiotics and cultural studies.
• Emphasized signs as arbitrary

Semiotics: The General Study of Signs

• All cultural practices rely on meanings based on signs.
• Signs, like language, follow rules.
• The concept of "reading" applies not just to texts, but to films, food and fashion

Traffic Lights

• Traffic light colours are arbitrarily associated with actions e.g. stop or go.
• This demonstrates the constructionist approach to the arbitrary nature of meaning, as opposed to a fixed, natural or inherent meaning.
• Concept of "naturalization": The process of assigning a meaning to something in a way that it appears natural.
• Traffic lights are an example where meaning is relational

Further Topics (implications of the constructionist approach, the legacy of the de Saussure, semiotics)

• Importance of shared systems for communication
• How different languages create different ways of understanding the world
• Examples illustrating that seemingly natural concepts are constructed (e.g. historical terms for "uncle," projecting traits onto inanimate objects).
• Semiotics: Cultural practices rely on symbols to create meaning (e.g. clothing, architecture).
• Meaning is constructed, but not less real.

Denotation and Connotation

• Denotation: The basic, widely understood meaning of a sign
• Connotation: Broader themes and meanings of a sign within a culture
• Connotations are shared meanings within cultures, not just individual associations.

Additional Information (historical examples, etc)

• Possible connections between language, representation, and cultural understandings across different groups (e.g., Inuit and snow descriptions; various language systems illustrating a geocentric vs. egocentric spatial orientation; gendered meanings associated with items in German)
• Historical illustrations (e.g. historical signs/advertisements, vintage photos of people).