Bennett and Hall offer a revision of ideological approaches to popular culture as inspired by the writings of Gramsci and the concept of hegemony. What new perspectives strike you as most interesting from these discussions, and how might they offer answers to the social role of popular culture? How do these ideas fit with the debates over ideology we discussed in Tuesday’s class? Do other questions linger from their accounts?
Althusser offers a revision of Marx’s theory of ideology. What aspects of Althusser’s theory do you fine particularly useful to understanding popular culture, and what aspects remain unclear? How might such ideas augment concepts argued by Adorno and the Frankfurt School? And how do these various approaches resonate in Wood and Ray’s takes on It’s a Wonderful Life or your own thoughts on Tootsie?
Interesting article in the New York Times about the place of humanities in an era of economic crisis. Do you hear echoes of Culture and Civilization traditions?
Today’s readings explore the concept of the relationship between economics and culture as developed through Marxist theory. What facets of cultural & social analysis from Marx and Adorno do you find most useful for studying popular culture? And how might this mode of Marxist critique fit within the Culture & Civilization vs. Culturalism debates?
Barthes brings in new elements to structuralism beyond Saussure’s theories of language. What key insights do you find relevant to a broader study of popular culture? Ray takes a structuralist approach to It’s a Wonderful Life – do you think that this approach is effective in exploring its social function and meanings?
Today’s readings outline the theoretical traditions of semiotics and structuralism as an important facet of cultural studies. What insights about the ways meaning is created within cultural practices do you think semiotics and structuralism points toward? How does Wright’s account of Westerns point toward useful ways of looking at specific cases of popular media, and how might you apply it to My Darling Clementine?
The Culturalist perspective attempts to offer another way to view the politics of popular culture from the Culture & Civilization tradition. What arguments and developments do you find most interesting and important from the new approach? How do you see Levine’s account of Shakespeare fitting into the Culturalist perspective? And are there any insights from these readings that speak to My Darling Clementine?
Remember, please respond by 6 am on Thursday, and read previous comments to engage conversation – feel free to come back to respond after you post as well:
Storey outlines the “culture and civilization” tradition that dismisses and condemns popular culture, exemplified by Arnold, Leavis, and Macdonald. What elements of their arguments do you find compelling (if any)? What is the proper role of a “minority elite” in regarding majority popular culture? How might you apply some of these arguments to High Fidelity?
Just a thread to have students in the class introduce themselves, and thus provide a link to your ID so you can be added as a contributor to the blog. To make it interesting, provide one pop culture tidbit about yourself that we can remember you by.
I’ll go first: I’ve seen four of the six Star Wars films in the theater during their original releases. Oddly enough, the two that I missed were both the second film in each trilogy.