Cultural Theories and Media Representation

These flashcards cover key theorists, concepts, and definitions related to cultural theories and media representation.

Matthew Arnold

Theorist who believed culture should be elite, refined, and morally uplifting.

Pop culture

Considered by some theorists as shallow and dangerous, critiquing mass entertainment.

Structure of feeling

A term introduced by Arnold describing how a certain time period feels based on cultural experiences.

Hegemony

The process where power works through consent, making inequality feel 'normal' in culture.

Culture industry

A concept describing how media becomes standardized and repetitive, keeping audiences passive.

Encoding/decoding

The theory that audiences interpret media messages differently based on individual perspectives.

Banal nationalism

Everyday reminders of national identity, such as politeness and cultural symbols.

Participatory culture

A concept where audiences actively engage and produce meaning, rather than being passive consumers.

Orientalism

The stereotype of the East by the West, often portrayed in media and literature.

Imagined communities

A term by Benedict Anderson describing nations as socially constructed groups of people.

Gender performativity

Judith Butler's theory that gender is performed through repeated social behaviors and actions.

Intersectionality

A framework for understanding how various social identities intersect and impact experiences of discrimination.

Symbolic representation

The use of symbols and imagery in media to convey meaning and shape public perceptions.