Cultural studies

Question 1

Defining culture studies

Answer 1

Culture as an academic area - combining its two aspects
- Arts: film, literature, paint, movies, etc.
- Social studies: ways of living - food, family life, age, gender
- Interdisciplinary field: anthropology, sociology, media studies

Question 2

Richard Hoggart 1960’s

Answer 2

Started culture studies as ‘self-project’: Centre for contemporary studies (using text to examine cultural change in society)

Question 3

Stuart Hall 1970’s

Answer 3

Shift in culture studies - aimed attention at structure of power and inequality: race, gender and class
- influenced by Marxian theories of ideology and shaping from ‘above’

Question 4

Theory and culture studies

Answer 4

No primary theory - combination of linguistic and radical theories central in 1970’s
- strong influences by sociology

Question 5

Infra-ordinary
- David Morley

Answer 5

Mundane parts of life that are often overlooked: used to describe the cultural and social practices that shape our lives; the way we dress, what we eat, the media we consume

Question 6

Communication in culture studies

Answer 6

understanding communication as the sum of cultural and social factors - cultural studies reveal how communication can be used to challenge dominant ideals and social structures