Cultural Studies: Thinking Activity

This blog is a response to the thinking activity task assigned by our professor Dr. Dilip Barad sir. In this blog, I am going to give my explanation of how different dynamic like power, mass media and digital culture works as different aspects of cultural studies.

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Let's just see what people often think of cultural studies we often think that Cultural studies is the study of culture. It is the study of how people create their own cultures and how they interact with each other. Cultures are created by individuals, groups, and societies. Individuals have different ideas and beliefs about how things should be done. Groups of people may share similar ideas and beliefs. Societies are composed of many groups of people. These groups may share similar ideas and belief systems. A group of people may be considered a society if they share a language, religion, customs, traditions, and values.

What is Cultural Studies:

According to the Glossary of Literary Terms by M. H. Abrams,

Cultural studies designates a cross-disciplinary enterprise for analyzing the conditions that affect the production, reception, and cultural significance of all types of institutions, practices, and products; among these, literature is accounted as merely one of many forms of cultural “signifying practices.” A chief concern is to specify the functioning of the social, economic, and political forces and power structures that are said to produce the diverse forms of cultural phenomena and to endow them with their social “meanings,” their acceptance as “truth,” the modes of discourse in which they are discussed, and their relative value and status.

According to 'A Dictionary of Critical Theory' 

"An interdisciplinary approach to the study and analysis of culture understood very broadly to include not only specific texts, but also practices, and indeed ways of life. 

The most influential works in the field have tended to be large edited collections like Lawrence Grossberg, Cary Nelson, and Paula Treichler’s mammoth Cultural Studies (1991) and introductory textbooks like John Fiske’s Reading the Popular (1989), which reflects not only the heterogeneous nature of work calling itself Cultural Studies, but the fact that in a very real sense Cultural Studies is theoretically provisional and avant-garde (its practitioners tend to be avid consumers of new concepts drawn from a wide variety of fields)." 

 

 

The Importance of Cultural Context for Understanding Literature:

Literature/Books are written by individuals but they are also influenced by society so does their books. Therefore, it is important to consider the work's cultural context. Culture can refer to the beliefs, customs, values and activities of a particular group of people at a particular time.

Literature is more than a collection of words that were written down in the past. It is also the product of a specific time, place and social context. Cultural context refers to the place, time and circumstances in which a work of art or literature was created. Understanding the cultural context of a work of literature is important because it can help readers understand the work's full significance. For instance, if you understand the historical context surrounding a work of literature, you may be able to better understand why certain characters are portrayed the way they are, or why the plot unfolds the way it does. Cultural context is also essential for understanding the historical significance of a work, as well as its importance to the development of artistic and literary genres.

Cultural studies normally share four common goals: 

• First, cultural studies transcend the confines of a particular discipline such as literary criticism or history.
• Second, cultural studies is politically engaged.
• Third, cultural studies denies the separation of "high'  and "low" or the elite and popular culture.
• Finally, cultural studies analyzes not only the cultural work, but also the means of production.

How to Understand Power- Eric Liu 

This video is describing how power operates, and where it comes from. power focus on the civic arena,

There are six main sources of civic power 

1 Physical Force:

 Physical force can be a source of civic power in a number of ways. First, it can be used to directly influence the behaviour of others, such as when a police officer uses physical force to apprehend a suspect. Second, it can be used to indirectly influence the behaviour of others, as when a military force is used to deter an enemy from attacking. Third, it can be used to physically protect citizens from harm, as when the military is used to defend a country from invasion. Finally, physical force can be used to support the rule of law, as when police officers use force to maintain order during a protest. In each of these cases, physical force can play a role in ensuring the safety and security of citizens and in promoting the common good.

Physical force is the application of physical pressure, pull, or push to influence the behaviour of someone or something. It is the use of physical force to make someone do something that they would not otherwise do. The use of physical force can be either positive or negative. Positive physical force is when physical force is used to achieve the desired outcome, such as when law enforcement officers use physical force to apprehend a suspect. Negative physical force is when physical force is used to harm or injure someone, such as when a person is physically assaulted by another person.

2 Wealth:

Wealth has always been a source of civic power. The wealthy have always had more influence over the government and society than the poor. This is because the wealthy have always had more money to donate to political campaigns and causes. They have also been able to buy more media attention and support.

However, there is a growing movement to try to close the gap between the rich and the poor. This is being done through things like the Occupy Wall Street movement and the fight for a living wage. It is hoped that by giving the poor a louder voice, society will become more fair and just.

3 State Action: (Government):

Law and bureaucracy compel people to do and not do certain things. It is supposed to work opposite in democracy where we give power to govt. through election. In a dictatorship, state power emerges from the thread of force not the content of govt. The state is the primary source of civic power. This is because the state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. The state also has the power to tax and regulate commerce. The state also has the power to make and enforce laws. The state also has the power to ratify treaties. The state also has the power to provide for the common defence. The state also has the power to coin money and to regulate the value thereof. The state also has the power to borrow money on the credit of the state.

4 Social Norms:

Social norms can serve as a powerful source of power. When members of a community share common values and beliefs, they can more effectively work together to create positive change. Shared norms can help to build trust and cooperation, and can also serve as a source of social capital. In addition, social norms can help to create a sense of identity and belonging, which can be a powerful motivating force for civic engagement.

 5 Ideas: 

Ideas have always been a source of power. Throughout history, great thinkers have used their ideas to change the world. Today, ideas are more powerful than ever. With the internet, anyone can share their ideas with the world. And with social media, those ideas can quickly spread and gain traction.

The power of ideas is clear. Just look at the Arab Spring, where a simple idea – that people deserve to be free – sparked a revolution that is still ongoing. Or look at the #MeToo movement, which started with a few women sharing their stories and has since brought down some of the most powerful men in the world.

Ideas have the power to change the world. And in today’s connected world, anyone can be a part of that change.

Civic power is the ability of individuals and groups to influence the decisions made by the government and other institutions. Ideas are a major source of civic power. By providing new perspectives and solutions to problems, ideas can help to shape public policy and bring about change. In a democracy, all citizens have the right to express their ideas and to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. This makes it essential for everyone to be informed and engaged in the civic life of their community. Ideas can come from anywhere – from everyday conversations, from the media, from experts and thought leaders, or from our own experiences. But it is up to each of us to decide what ideas we will listen to and what we will act on. When we use our civic power to make our voices heard, we can help to create a better society for all.

Importance of media studies in digital culture:

In a digital culture, media studies are more important than ever. With the rise of social media and the proliferation of digital content, understanding media and its effects are crucial. Media studies help us to understand how the media works, how it shapes our perceptions and how we can use it to create positive change.

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In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, it is important to be able to critically analyze what we see and hear. Media studies give us the tools to do this. They help us to understand the techniques that are used to influence our opinions and the ways in which the media can be used to manipulate our emotions.

By understanding media studies, we can learn to be more discerning consumers of information. We can learn to question what we see and to look for alternative perspectives. We can also use our knowledge to create more positive and effective media messages. In a digital culture, media studies are an essential tool for creating a more informed and empowered citizenry.

Media also plays a vital role in the post-truth era:

The term "post-truth" has been used to describe a political climate in which facts and evidence are less important than emotion and personal belief. In this environment, facts are often distorted or ignored in favour of emotional appeals and personal narratives. This can lead to a situation in which people are more likely to believe what they want to believe, regardless of whether or not it is true

This phenomenon is not new, but it has been amplified in recent years by the rise of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. In a post-truth world, it is easier than ever for people to find information that supports their pre-existing beliefs, and to share that information with others. This can create a feedback loop in which people become more and more isolated from opposing views, and the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred.

The post-truth phenomenon has been blamed for the rise of populism and the election of Donald Trump in the United States. It has also been blamed for the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom. In both cases, it is argued that emotion and personal belief were more important than facts and evidence in the decision-making process.

Critics of post-truth politics argue that it is dangerous and anti-democratic. They argue that it undermines faith in institutions and the media and that it could lead to a situation in which people are no longer able to agree on what is true and what is not.

Who can be considered a 'Truly Educated Person'?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the definition of a "truly educated person" will vary depending on individual perspectives and experiences. However, some key qualities that could be considered essential for a truly educated person may include an inquisitive and open mind, the ability to think critically and objectively, and a strong desire to continue learning throughout their lifetime. Additionally, a truly educated person should be able to effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas, and possess the ability to empathize with and respect the views of others.

Our professor has told us many times that academic institutes (especially Universities) are not just to teach you what is already there in the syllabus or books in other words it's not just to gain information from books but to learn to think and argue critically. [Note- these are not his exact words but my interpretation]

As Noam Chomsky has said in the above video,

"To be truly educated from this point of view means to be in a position to inquire and to create on the basis of the resources available to you which you've come to appreciate and comprehend. To know where to look, to know how to formulate serious questions, to question a standard doctrine if that's appropriate, to find your own way, to shape the questions that are worth pursuing, and develop the path to pursue them. That means knowing, and understanding many things but also, much more important than what you have stored in your mind, to know where to look, how to look, how to question, how to challenge, how to proceed independently, to deal with the challenges that the world presents to you and that you develop in the course of your self-education and inquiry and investigations, in cooperation and solidarity with others."

 

 

 Derrida and Deconstruction

This blog is a response to the assigned  thinking activity task by our professor Dr. Dilip Barad sir. In this blog I am going to present my understanding of 'Deconstruction' as well as deconstruct a poem, 'The Solider' by Rupert Brooke.

About the Author: 

Jacques Derrida  was an Algerian-born French philosopher best known for developing a form of semiotic analysis known as deconstruction, which he analyzed in numerous texts, and developed in the context of phenomenology. He is one of the major figures associated with post-structuralism and postmodern philosophy.

During his career, Derrida published more than 40 books, together with hundreds of essays and public presentations. He had a significant influence on the humanities and social sciences, including philosophy, literature, law, anthropology, historiography, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychoanalysis, architecture, and political theory.

Let's look at the meaning of the term deconstruction in a simpler way.

This image is of a building which is not symmetrical, in architecture or construction field they also call it 'Deconstruction'. Just by looking at the simple example of architecture we can say Deconstruction is not Destruction but it is creation, which is already proved by many critics.

   

What is Deconstruction:

The term deconstruction refers to approaches to understanding the relationship between text and meaning. It was originated by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who defined it as a turn away from Platonism's ideas of "true" forms and essences which take precedence over appearances, instead considering the constantly changing complex function of language, making static and idealist ideas of it inadequate. Deconstruction instead places emphasis on the mere appearance of language in both speech and writing, or suggests at least that essence as it is called is to be found in its appearance, while it itself is "undecidable", and everyday experiences cannot be empirically evaluated to find the actuality of language.

Paul de Man, a member of the Yale School and a prominent practitioner of deconstruction as he understood it. His definition of deconstruction is that, 

"it's possible, within text, to frame a question or undo assertions made in the text, by means of elements which are in the text, which frequently would be precisely structures that play off the rhetorical against grammatical elements."

Deconstruction refers to the pursuit of a text's meaning to the point of exposing the implied contradictions and internal oppositions upon which it is built, supposedly demonstrating that those foundations are irreducibly complex, unstable, or impossible. It is a method that can be used in philosophy, literary analysis, and even scientific writing analysis. Deconstruction generally attempts to demonstrate that a text is not a discrete whole, but rather contains several irreconcilable and contradictory meanings; that any text thus has more than one interpretation; that the text itself inextricably links these interpretations; that the incompatibility of these interpretations is irreducible; and thus that an interpretative reading cannot go beyond a certain point.

Deconstruction of a Poem:

The Soldier by Rupert Brooke

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;

A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,

Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,

A body of England’s, breathing English air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,

A pulse in the eternal mind, no less

Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;

Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;

And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,

In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. 

Rupert Brooke is a very famous poem and it has served very well as a patriotic or a nationalist poem. Here we are going to deconstruct this poem by trying to find possible biases and binary oppositions in this poem. 

Bias:

We are well aware that this poem is patriotic poem and that's where its bias is created, we can read that the whole poem is talking about nationalism the voice of the speaker is nationalist. Let's say for example the lines,

"If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is for ever England"

Its not just this line but the whole pome is only talking about  England, so we can say that the poem is England centric poem and creates many biases against nations other than England. 

Binary:

A division into two groups or classes that are considered diametrically opposite. (Definition)

If I should die...

The very first words of this poem are speaking of 'I' which means a human and in later poem speaker is comparing the sun, river, dust, and land with that of England, so here it creates a binary opposition between human and nature as well as England and other nations.

A body of England’s, breathing English air,

Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

The words in this lines like 'body of England', English air, suns of home' might/are creating double meaning because it almost sounds as if England is having a sun of their own, and air is also different from what the rest of the world is breathing. This line are proving that one can not find meaning, we only are postponing the meaning. The language of this poem is proving Derrida's claim that is,

 "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique".

 This poem was written during World War to motivate Soldiers and recruits but its normal to assume that the soldier weren't fools to think that wherever they die it doesn't matter because they are dying for their country. 

Derrida and Deconstruction: Flipped Learning

 

Derrida and Deconstruction

This blog is the response to the flipped learning task assigned by our professor Dr. Dilip Barad. In this flipped learning we are given a few videos on Derrida and Deconstruction, after watching these videos we raise questions or doubts and we discuss and debate those questions if other students are having answers. (Know more about flipped learning)

What is Deconstruction:

 A philosophical or critical method which asserts that meanings, metaphysical constructs, and hierarchical oppositions (as between key terms in a philosophical or literary work) are always rendered unstable by their dependence on ultimately arbitrary signifiers

According to A Glossary of Literary Terms by M. H. Abrams,

Deconstruction, as applied in the criticism of literature, designates a theory and practice of reading that questions and claims to “subvert” or “undermine” the assumption that the system of language is based on grounds that are adequate to establish the boundaries, the coherence or unity, and the determinate meanings of a literary text. Typically, a deconstructive reading sets out to show that conflicting forces within the text itself serve to dissipate the seeming definiteness of its structure and meanings into an indefinite array of incompatible and undecidable possibilities.

Video 1:

In this video, the speaker is talking about Derrida and Deconstruction and why deconstruction is difficult to define. Derrida himself refuses to define Deconstruction because we are habituated to a clear and direct definition of anything, in other words, the human mind wants to define everything they come in connect with, and our mind process everything in order to understand that thing. Whereas Derrida Claims that it is not really possible to define everything nor Deconstruction.

 video 2:

In this video, Heidegger's influence on Derrida is discussed. Heideggar wanted to dismantle the entire tradition of Western philosophy by pursuing the question of beings of being. Derrida himself in the famous "Letter to a Japanese Friend" (1983) pointed out that the term was a product of his wish, “to translate and adapt to my own ends the Heideggerian word Destruktion or Abbau.

Video 3:

In this video several points are discussed, the idea that connecting the world with its meaning is not natural or the sign with it signified is conventional and thus a social construct. The meaning of the word, as structuralists, argues that it is arbitrary. It exists in relation to other words.

Video 4:

In this video, the speaker is discussing how getting at the center of the word or trying to find Meaning is impossible because one word leads us to another word rather than toward the meaning.

Video 5:

This video is about Structure, Sign, and Play. Derrida throughout his carrier has many times criticized Claude Levi-Strauss.  Apart from that, it is also discussed that Derrida there was no structure and he believed that there was no center.

Video 6:

This video is about Yale School of Deconstruction. Paul de Man, J. Hillis Miller, Harold Bloom, and Geoffrey Hartman are know as 'Hermeneutic Mafias' of Yale University who propagated thoughts of Derrida worldwide. They questioned aesthetic, formalistic, historical, and sociological approaches to literature.

 

This video is a lecture on Derrida and Deconstruction. Professor Paul Fry explores two central Derridian works: "Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of Human Sciences" and "Différance."  

In this video Center and structure is also discussed. Besides that, he explains that language is the new god or new man because we cannot live without language. Because just like the structure everything has a center. There are many things that support this argument for example as means of communication language gives us consciousness, we cannot communicate with only thought or subconscious mind. 

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

 Thinking Activity: Wide Sargasso Sea

This blog is the response to the thinking activity task assigned by Yesha madam. In this blog, I am going to write on Post Colonial context of Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea. 

Jean Rhys,  (born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams) was a British novelist who was born and grew up in the Caribbean island of Dominica. From the age of 16, she was mainly resident in England, where she was sent for her education. She is best known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea (1966), written as a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. In 1978, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her writing

Wide Sargasso Sea is a 1966 novel by Dominican-British author Jean Rhys. The novel serves as a postcolonial and feminist prequel to Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre (1847), describing the background to Mr. Rochester's marriage from the point-of-view of his wife Antoinette Cosway, a Creole heiress. Antoinette Cosway is Rhys's version of Brontë's devilish "madwoman in the attic". Antoinette's story is told from the time of her youth in Jamaica to her unhappy marriage to an English gentleman, Mr. Rochester, who renames her Bertha, declares her mad, takes her to England, and isolates her from the rest world in his mansion. Antoinette is caught in a patriarchal society in which she fully belongs neither to Europe nor to Jamaica. The Wide Sargasso Sea explores the power of relationships between men and women and discusses the themes of race, Caribbean history, and assimilation.

What is Post Colonialism?

"Postcolonialism... involves a studied engagement with the experience of colonialism and its past and present effects"

According to the glossary of literary terms by M.H. Abrams,

The critical analysis of the history, culture, literature, and modes of discourse that are specific to the former colonies of England, Spain, France, and other European imperial powers. These studies have focused especially on the Third World countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean islands, and South America.

Wide Sargasso Sea: Post Colonial Reading:

A postcolonial reading of Wide Sargasso Sea would focus on the ways in which the novel deconstructs the colonial narratives of the West Indies. In particular, the novel challenges the portrayal of the region as a paradise for white settlers. Instead, it shows the reality of life for the indigenous people, who were oppressed and exploited by the colonialists. The novel also highlights the hypocrisy of the colonialists, who claimed to be civilizing the region while simultaneously engaging in atrocities.

Wide Sargasso Sea is a novel by Jean Rhys that was published in 1966. The novel is set in the 1800s and tells the story of a woman named Antoinette Cosway, who is of Creole descent. The novel is a postcolonial reading of Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Rhys presents a different perspective of the Caribbean than what was typically seen in literature at the time. She portrays the islanders as complex and multi-dimensional people, rather than the one-dimensional characters that were often seen in novels set in the Caribbean. Wide Sargasso Sea is considered to be one of the most important works of postcolonial literature.

This novel is divided into three parts. The first part takes place in Colibri, a sugar plantation in Jamaica, and is narrated by Antoinette as a child. 

The Second part alternates between the points of view of Antoinette and her husband during their honeymoon excursion to her mother's summer estate Granbois, Dominica. 

Part Three is the shortest part of the novel; it is from the perspective of Antoinette, renamed by her husband Bertha.

Rhys uses these multiple voices to tell the story or retell the story with that of Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre was a romantic novel, it didn't hold any postcolonial arguments like what Rhys has done with her novel. The novel also is a feminist work as it deals with the inequality between men and women. While Jane Eyre only interprets the White perspective and Rhys decides to write a prequel rather than a sequel to Jane Eyre, which describes the white creoles and blacks' perspective.