British Cultural Studies
Cultural Studies is a vast area,
even more complex term in the field of discipline. So as far as the culture
meant as an “aggregate of language, knowledge, beliefs, morality, law,
customs and art collectively acquired by human beings”. It is a way of practice
even life itself. Culture is giving importance not only to the elite but also
of popular and mass arts and practices. After 1970’s cultural criticism began
to give undue importance for the mass, popular and everyday materials, usually
in the context of their ideologies.
Cultural studies as a discipline
in distinct form, it began to studying such a large discourse such as
television, cinema, advertising rock, music, magazines, minority, literature
and popular literature. The specialty of the study is focusing on these
materials how effectively such materials are produced, distributed and
consumed.
During 1970’s and 1980’s the
notable figure in cultural studies that is Brennan, who founded center for
cultural studies founded in 1964 accompanied by Richard Harder. There are
numerous work were written for cultural studies. Some of the prominent text is
“Culture and Anarchy” (1869) by Matthew Arnold, the text draws a picture for
recognizing culture through maintaining political order in the society. The aim
of the text is to “improving populace”. F R Levis another key figure in the
discipline, who spoke about the canonical text as such in his Scrutiny in his
book “The Great Tradition”. In late 1950’s Richard Haggard wrote The uses of
Literacy (1957), Raymond Williams in his
text Culture and Society (1958) gives an account of details’ of the working
class. And also the text would recognize the limitations of analyzing canonical
text. It is a plain understanding of complexity of culture. Especially the
dominant culture in 1970’s and 1980’s. The prominent in the field is Stuart
Hall; he said literature is a product. He finds “Brtishness” of British
cultural studies. And also the particular changes occurs immediate political or
historical circumstances in society. Louis Althusser in the book titled
Ideology and Culture is about the sub culture with English and society. Antony
Gramsci who wrote for the working class and potaring palpitation. The cause of
his writing is on the basis of Germany during 1920’s that is the rise of Mussolini.
It is about the link between fascism and culture.
Another writer of
cultural studies is Paul Willis his book “Learning to Labor” (1977). It is
about the mocking attitudes and behaviors of teenage boys of working class. It
silently teaches the social order the prevailing contradictory values and
morals. Angela Macrobbie Book entitled “The Meaning of Style” (1977). The book
is all about the teenage productive workers, hence they were social products.
The book states that teenagers are consumers rather than producers. Another
work of Angela Macrobbie is “Postmodernism and Popular Culture” (1994) it is
discussing the ongoing popularity of popular culture.
Raymond Williams in his text Marxism
and Literature he argues about the foundation of base and superstructure in the
capitalist society. Where the two classes of the society portrays in a natural
economy of unchanging physical world. The argues culture is ordinary in the
cosmos of broad context of historical development exerts a strong pressure
against the limited terms of all the other concepts. Cultural studies as always
there as an abstract of moral sensibility of literature. As a whole culture in
cultural studies is viewed as a way of practice on the other hand it is
separate from society in the sense of high culture, popular culture and
dominant culture. There are cultures played role internally and externally
where Marxism placed culture as external part in it. In conclusion Raymond
Williams “culture” is stated in Marxist point of view where Marxism project as
a aura to the culture and Marxism put in superstructure and base create or shape
superstructure.
In the text of Stuart hall “Encoding,
Decoding “it is about multiculturalism in the Marxist point of view, or a
response to Marxism. It is re structuring of hypothesis that exists in our
society. It include the power relation established through visual culture, mass
communication the meaning drew out of it is cannot be fixed or determined. It
is tangible in nature and culture that determines the meaning out of it. In the
field of telecommunication the audience placed as an active thing. It is the
person who produces. Encoding, Decoding is in this the circle draw as communication,
production, circulation, and reproduction. This cycle paved the way for
multiple interpretations.
There
are three hypothesis mainly recognized here as:
·
Dominant hegemonic position
·
Negotiated code
·
Oppositional code.
We can say that Hall was challenged the
mass communication. It is encoding who played the process of production and
decoding is the process of communication. It is said that there is nothing
real. Reality of meaning is found in outside the language. so meaning is
discursive and it is the society ( sender and receiver) who determines the
meaning.
Another notable cultural study
practitioner is Catherine Belsey in her interview titled as “from cultural
studies to cultural criticism” she is finding an alternative to cultural
criticism as such. Belsey also viewed as how cultural studies articulated the
golden celebration of popular culture. She is worried about the problems in
popular culture and also the future of cultural studies. It is moved from
theory and cultural studies changing are nature. So her basic problem is to
find out how we maintain cultural studies as a counter hegemonic action as such
or does it have connection to cultural criticism.
In conclusion a British cultural study
is a European theoretical influence. As per historical view it rooted during
postwar period where the capitalist and industrial production revived. “English
cultures were subjected to keen scrutiny in the attempt to understand these
changes and their cultural, economic, and political effect”. It gives attention
to industrialization, mass communication and technology. In total British
cultural studies is an account of everyday life.
Bibliography
·
Turner, G. (20003). British Cultural Studies An
Introduction. USA and Canada: Routledge.
·
Inglis, F.
(1995). Cultural Studies. UK: Blackwell publishers.
·
Vincent, L. B. The
Norton Anthology theory and criticism.
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