Anglo-American Cultural Studies

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards related to key concepts in Anglo-American Cultural Studies.

Cultural Studies

An academic field that examines cultural phenomena in their social contexts.

Hegemony

The dominance of one group over others, often supported by consent rather than force.

Gender

The social and cultural roles, behaviors, and expectations associated with being male or female.

Sex

The biological classification of individuals as male or female based on physical characteristics.

Power-Knowledge

A concept by Foucault that suggests knowledge is interlinked with power and used to control society.

Proletariat

The working class, who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor.

Declarative Sentiment

A formal statement that expresses a belief or declaration, often associated with rights or equality.

Wave of Feminism

Different periods in feminist movements characterized by specific goals and achievements.

Enfranchisement

The granting of rights or privileges, especially the right to vote.

Intersex

Individuals born with physical sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies.

Metrossexual

A heterosexual male who is urban and concerned with personal appearance and lifestyle.

Queer Theory

A theoretical perspective that critiques normative definitions of gender and sexuality.

Bricolage

A construction or creation from a diverse range of available things; a do-it-yourself approach.

Cultural Capital

The social assets of a person that promote social mobility in a stratified society. education, skills, and cultural knowledge acquired through family and socialization.

Feminism

A movement for advocating social, political, and economic equality for women.

Subculture

A cultural group within a larger culture, often with distinct values or norms.

Cultural Imperialism

The practice of promoting one culture over another, often through media and communication.

Minority

A group within a society that does not make up the majority of the population.

Class

A social stratification based on wealth, income, education, and occupation.

Transgender

Individuals whose gender identity differs from their biological sex assigned at birth.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Hegemonic Masculinity

The cultural ideal of manhood that promotes dominance over women and non-hegemonic masculinities.

Psychoanalysis

A therapeutic approach that studies the unconscious mind and its influence on human behavior.

Postcolonial Studies

An academic field that analyzes the cultural, political, and social impacts of colonialism and imperialism.

Representation

The way in which individuals or groups are portrayed in media and culture.

Cultural Landscape

The visible imprint of human activity on the landscape.

Identity Politics

Political positions rooted in the interests and perspectives of social groups.

Popular Culture

Mainstream cultural products that are widely consumed and accessible to the public.

Feminist Critique

An examination of literature, film, and social practices from a feminist perspective.

Intersectionality

A concept that examines how various social identities overlap and impact experiences of discrimination.

Activism

The policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.

Cultural Narratives

Stories or perspectives that shape a culture's understanding of itself or its history.

LGBTQ+

An acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and more.

Discourse Analysis

A method for studying written or spoken language in relation to its social context.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit.

Diversity

The inclusion of different types of people in a group or organization.

Cultural Identity

The identity or feeling of belonging to a group based on shared culture, traditions, and values.

Decolonization

The process of deconstructing colonial ideologies of the superiority and privilege of Western thought and culture.

Stereotype

A widely held but oversimplified and generalized belief about a particular group.

Narrative

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

Censorship

Suppression or prohibition of speech or writing considered harmful or objectionable.

Critical Theory

A philosophy that challenges societal norms and advocates for social change.

Media Consumption

The process by which individuals engage with media products.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or operate on an international scale.

Cultural Heritage

The legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society inherited from past generations.

Social Justice

The view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.

Customary Rights

Rights that arise from traditional practices and customs within a community.

Cultural Shock

The feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture.

Cultural Memory

The shared pool of knowledge and information in the collective consciousness of a community.

Collective Identity

The shared sense of belonging to a group.

Civic Engagement

Working to make a difference in the civic life of one's community and the developing of the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation.

Racialization

The practice of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to individuals or groups.

Oppression

Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.

Transnationalism

The process by which immigrants build social fields that link together their country of origin and their country of settlement.

Anti-Racism

Policies, actions, beliefs, or movements that oppose racism.

Cultural Sensitivity

Awareness and understanding of the cultural differences and similarities between people.

Radical Feminism

A perspective within feminism that emphasizes the patriarchy as a fundamental source of women’s oppression.

Civil Rights Movement

A decades-long movement advocating for legal rights for African Americans in the United States.

Queer Activism

Advocacy for the rights of LGBTQ individuals and communities.

Cultural Appropriation

The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, or ideas of one culture by members of another.

Feminine Mystique

A concept describing the phenomenon of women being portrayed as dependent on men and finding fulfillment solely in domestic roles.

Decolonialization

A process that involves the unlearning of colonial ideologies and re-establishing cultural identities.

Cultural Resistance

The act of challenging the dominant culture's narratives, practices, and representations.

Collective Memory

A body of knowledge and information that is shared among a group of people.

Activist Scholarship

The use of academic research to advocate for social change.

Civic Nationalism

A form of nationalism based on a shared belief in a set of civil rights and responsibilities.

Diaspora

The dispersion of any people from their original homeland.

Life Course Perspective

A multidisciplinary approach to understanding people's lives and experiences over time.

Heteronormativity

The assumption that heterosexuality is the default or normal sexual orientation.

Cultural Stratification

The hierarchical arrangement of different cultural elements and their distribution of social power.

Outsider Art

Art created outside the boundaries of official culture, often by self-taught artists.

Social Constructivism

A theory that examines the development of jointly constructed understandings of the world.

Textual Analysis

A method used to analyze the content, structure, and meaning of texts.

Identity Politics

Political positions based on the interests and perspectives of social groups.