Cultural Studies

 Four Goals of Cultural Studies

Introduction

Many times we might have heard, what others are doing is seems unnatural, sometimes it looks abnormal too. Why? It is because of cultural diversity. What some outsiders are doing is like unlikely it’s just because what they are or what they are doing is not part of our culture at all. It is also possible that what we are doing is also quite surprising to other as it obviously not part of their culture. This cultural conflict can be found not only between two countries but also between two class and castes! As far one can understand this concept of cultural diversity, what Matthew Arnold defines in his ‘Culture and Anarchy’ is why problematic! We know that, balance within the society is much required but yet question arises that ‘Though we are denying that such problems/issues do not in exist in our society but is it true?’ Answer of this question may lead anyone to the silence only! Here, cultural studies help a lot and that is why what Arnold defines and where cultural studies stand is quite different at all.

This assignment aims to study four major goals of Cultural Studies with examples.

Before entering into the heavy discussion, let’s have a brief look upon,

what is Cultural Studies?

or

 what Cultural Studies does?

Cultural studies help us not only in reading power but also to what is emergence of reading power! Perhaps that question can also come that it seems it must be full of controversy and then why it should teach to students? It is like what difference a cultural studies approach make does for the student? It is necessary because learning by controversy is sound training for citizenship in future. Today a student can go form the one class in which the values of Western Culture are never questioned to the next class where Western Culture is portrayed as hopelessly compromised by racism, sexism and homophobia. It is the demand of time that student is needed to construct a conversation as the most exciting part of their education.

Worthy to note…

Through this arguments one can certainly say, it studies the text against itself and so, it is provoking at some level.  Then why students need to learn Cultural Studies?

What is need of teaching controversy?

The answer is given by Gerald Graff and James Phelan in simplistic manner, as they observe…

“It is a common prediction that the culture of the next century will put a premium on people’s ability to deal productively with conflict and cultural difference, learning by controversy is sound training for citizenship in that future.”

After studying what is Cultural Studies, let’s begin our discussion of four goals of cultural studies.

(1)Transcends the confines of a particular discipline

Primarily, cultural studies transcend the confines of a particular discipline such as literary criticism or history.

We need to note here, Cultural Studies is not just necessarily about literature in the old-fashioned sense or even about art. Now question rises, ‘what’s these all about?’ It is said that, intellectual ability of cultural studies lies in its attempts to, “cut-across diverse social and political interest and address many of the struggle within the current scene.’’

Intellectual works are limited by their own ‘borders’ as single texts. Historical complications or disciplines and the critic’s own personal relations to what is being analyzed may also to be defined and described. Thus, Cultural Studies is also a kind of a Criticism, like feminism and post-colonialism, is an engaged rather than detached activity. 

For example,

Italian Opera, a Latino telenovela, the architectural styles of prison, body piercing and drawing conclusions about the changes in textual phenomena over time.

(2)Politically engaged

As we discussed earlier, cultural studies is politically engaged. It studies all the relations in power relations. Cultural Studies, studies as ‘oppositional’ not only within their own disciplines but too many of the power structures of society at large discourse. It is quite obvious to understand that cultural studies questions hierarchies and inequalities within the power structure and pursue to discover models for restructuring relationships among dominant and minority or also at subaltern discourses.

Now let’s enter into very interesting questions.

Because it is not the man who speaks but the language speaks, meaning and individual subjectivity are culturally constructed, they can thus be reconstructed as construction seems naturalized.

(3)Denies separation between high & Law

Worthy to note, cultural studies denies separation between high and law & elite and popular culture.

Cultural critics work hard to transfer the term ‘culture’ to include mass culture, whether popular, folk or urban. Being a ‘cultured’ person used to define used to separate own self being aware with highbrow art and intellectual pursuits. Prominent theorists Jean Baudrilland and Andrew Huyssen, cultural critics argue, after world war-II, the distinction among high low and mass culture collapsed and they cite other theorists like Pierre Bourdieu and Dick Hebdige on how ‘good taste’ often any reflects prevailing social as well as economic and political power bases.

What cultural critics studies while studying Cultural Studies?

Cultural Studies examines the ‘everyday life’, ‘studying literature as an anthropologist would, as a phenomenon of culture. Instead of determining which are the ‘best’ work produced, Cultural Studies, studies what is produced and how various productions relate to one another. They purposes to discover the political, economic reasons why a certain product is more valued at certain times than other.

(4)The Means of Production

Cultural studies hammers into basement and that’s why it analyzes not only the cultural work, but also the means of production.

Now-a-days we find that several literary works become widely read and popular. We believe that we are free to choose whatever we want to read but it is not so. It would be surprising to know that our choices are also controlled by political powers because our likes and dislikes dependent upon what comes in front of us and also equally important in which narration that is coming. As cultural studies try to read everything into power relationship, it emphasis upon how & where power works and so it is important to read writer & writer’s market.

While discussing means of production in Cultural Studies, how can we forget Marxist Critics have a long questions of such Paraliterary as these:

Cultural studies approach sometimes concerns with not only work that is produced but also the means of production. Question of how to support the author, of finding a publisher, and even marketing the particular work to the cultural milieu on which the work is produced. Now, let’s read Chetan Bhagat and his market through cultural studies.

Chetan Bhagat: A study of writer

Chetan Bhagat knows very well the process of production – marketing and consumption of anything as he has graduated from IIT and IIM. He knows how best to use the cultural studies milieu and economic conditions of the readers.  He also knows well the demographic of India as the country with most young people.

(1)Youth

His all narrative of works chiefly focus on youth means they all are youth centric. As he knows, India is the country where majority of group is youth and to be popular it is very necessary to serve what youth wants!

(2)Problems of youth

As his all works are youth centric, he discusses the problems of youth from the way young would like to narrate and solutions which young would like to have it. Worthy to note, solutions given by Chetan Bhagat are not truth or deeply thought solutions, but sweet and coated solution.  He gives not what is truth, but what is loved to read!

                                             

(3)Price of the book

Price of the book is one of the major reasons behind some highly qualitative books are not widely read. Chetan Bhagat knows how to target the audience and specially youth and so price of the books are affordable to young pockets approx. 99 to 150 RS.

(4)Length of narratives

We are living in that era where people don’t have enough time for even the self and if people are paying their valuable time in reading it might be very selective thus length of narrative plays very significant role in marketing. Not only people do not have enough time to read longer narratives but also not even time even to ponder deeply on the single sought.  Chetan Bhagat’s all novels are shorter like novella. Almost his novels can be read in single seating.

(5)Narrative style

Not only that important what is served to us but also how we are served.  His narrative style is very simple as rarely dictionary is required. His style is conversational and youth friendly style.

(6)Language

He uses very simple language. His novels are like campus novel, campus slangs and uses symbols and metaphors.

(7)Target audience and zeitgeist

Cheatan Bhagat has very better understanding of target audience and their zeitgeist

            (1) Getting admission in IIM/IIT

            (2) Callcentre    

            (3) Job, entrepreneurship, marriage

      (4) Education system as enterprice.

(8)Marketing

Chetan Bahgat knows very well how to market and to propagate the work. He uses social media platform like Facebook, Youtube, twitter, personal website, blog etc.

(9)Basic tone

         Hindutva Capitalism

Conclusion

Thus, we can say that Cultural Studies is an umbrella term, Culture is itself so difficult to pin down. Cultural Studies hard to define. Elaine Showalter also describes Cultural Studies is the model of feminine difference, Cultural Studies is not so much a discrete approach at all, but rather a set of practices. For example, looking from Roland Barthes on the nature of literary language and Claud-Levi-Strauss on anthropology.  

So, Cultural Studies’ discourse accepted the ways of thinking, writing and speaking- and practices that embody, exercise and amount to power.

References

Guerin, Wilfred L. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. Oxford University Press, 2011.

Jenks, Frederick L. Planning to Teach Culture: an Instructional Manual. University Publications, 1972.

Nayar, Pramod K. An Introduction to Cultural Studies. Viva Books, 2011.