-Critically define 'Pupular Culture'
-Contrast ideas of culture with 'popular culture' and 'mass culture'
-Introduce culture as ideology
What is culture?
- Always complex
Raymond Williams pioneer writer of defining culture
Marx's Concept of Base/ Superstucture
Bases - What is the gritty material that makes up a society
Marx argues everything else falls under the superstructure
How culture can be seen as a direct product of our capitalist culture
The base conditions the superstructure,
The Proletariat - Bottom 2 levels are formed of the workers and the base of society
above that, systems of law, army, Government
Roymond Williams (1983) -'Keyworks' book
Popular culture
- Any culture that is liked my a large mass of people
- Culture made for the masses by the masses
Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane - Why arn't all things that are popular classed as popular culture?
E.P. Thompson (1963)
massive class divide between 'pupular culture' and 'Culture'
- Between working class and the rich
- There was physically a class divide, with different areas of society being built for individual classes.
-Prior to this time, there was an idea that there was a consistant shared culture in society
- Development Heavy industry
- Process of urbanisation
- Growth of the city
Culture then started to be directed by the working classes as they made up the majority of population.
Matthew Arnold (1867)
-First man to write about culture
- Culture is a beautiful thing, and if everyone in the higher classes went back to enjoying the cultures of the past, (opera, theatre, philosophy, poetry etc...) then it would cause the lower classes to give up what is classed as the popular culture of the time.
-His way of thinking about culture is his way of maintaining status quo.
-Saw pop culture at the time, as dirty and low class.
Leavisism Mid 20 cent (1930's)
- Throughout 20th century culture has been declining into rubbish.
- As culture became more developed and mass produced it has negatively had an effect on the culture of society.
-wanted to appoint people who are in fact cultured should be the ones who decide what the mass popular culture should focus around.
- An attack on popular culture.
-The idea that the current pop culture at the time was just creating laziness in society
Frankfurt School
- first people to study in radical culture in the 30's especially when moved to NewYork
- Argued the opposite to Leavis and Arnold, saying that pop culture isn;t a threat at all.
- Culture is produced in the same way under capitalism as a car would be on a production line.
- Culture making profits by sucking everyone in and making people think what they have created is unique to what has come before.
Quote by Herbert Marcuse
- an affirmative culture - which has allowed the world to continue developing
- 'Culture affirms and conceals the new conditions of social life.'
- Culture stops us revolting or rebelling which again allows society to continue.
- Xfactor is an affirmative culture
- exploiting the masses and the normal people of society, and benefits the people at the top where they make huge profits.
- Teaches people that if they are in trouble financially should rely on 'making it big' by being judged by middle class people who decide whether they have the right to earn money from the masses.
- Instead of turning to politics or revolution to solve people problems.
Adorno ' On Popular Music'
- Hates all culture
- When it comes to popular music - she writes that each band being produced is the same as the one before, being promoted in a different way but basically the same product. which feeds people the same mundane products over and over again.
- Somebody decided what we should like and forces it.
- 'Popular culture will cause society to be MIND-LESS'
-He says we can pick our own way through popular culture.
- He also talks about the fact that people can purchase or enjoy culture for different reasons. which results in people forming their own personal culture.
- We can re define / Manipulate existing culture.
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