Culture: Traditional Approaches and Cultural Studies (2)

T. S. Eliot, "The Three Senses of Culture"

1. Culture of a whole society

2. Culture of a group or class

3. Culture of the individual

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Hierarchy: culture of a whole society valued higher than individual culture

Interdependence: acknowledges that individual activities and practices contribute to culture

Echoes traditional use of the term culture (Williams):

culture as human development from a low to a high state

− 'primitive' and 'developed' cultures

− assigns higher value to cultural phenomena that concern the whole society

activities from Eliot’s list

The list mixes activities typically representative of very different social classes.

Shift in Eliot’s text: from traditional use —> to more open use

culture as human development from a low to a high state

− 'primitive' and 'developed' cultures

− assigns higher value to cultural phenomena that concern the whole society

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inclusion of a list of typical English activities

− culture as a whole way of life, everyday practices

T. S. Eliot, "The Three Senses of Culture"

… although Eliot’s way of viewing culture is rather progressive for his time, it is still exclusive from today’s point of view:

• list only focuses on very few fields (sports, food, traditions, high culture)

→ These often potentially highlight class divisions and restrictions.

• Most activities listed are traditionally associated with men.

• Activities and practices of minorities are excluded.

• Most activities are practiced in groups, not as individuals.

T. S. Eliot "The Three Senses of Culture" vs. the traditional sense

• Eliot uses ‘culture’ more openly than the traditional approach but is still fairly critical of the expansion of the term ‘culture’.

• This reflects the overall development (starting in the 1940s) from the traditional view (culture as growing towards perfection) towards the more open usage favoured by Cultural Studies.

Simon During, from Cultural Studies: A Critical Introduction

How can we define Cultural Studies?

Cultural Studies are "engaged"

Simon During, from Cultural Studies: A Critical Introduction

What does this ‘engagement’ mean more concretely?

Cultural Studies are:

1. "political, critical" → try to uncover injustice, power-imbalances, hierarchies leading to inequality and exclusion

2. “[aim] to enhance and celebrate cultural experience" → communicating enjoyment in cultural variety and encouraging everyone to take part

3. “[aim] to deal with culture as part of everyday life" → open to all forms culture can take

Cultural Studies and 'Culture´

Cultural Studies use 'culture' in an open, broad sense

3. Culture of a Particular Nation

• Culture as 'a whole way of life'

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4. Different Cultures Within One Nation

• Differences between people or groups of people

Hanif Kureishi's List of Typically British Activities

examples

• not distinctly class-oriented (many activities span the classspectrum, such as therapy, the taking of drugs…)

• stressing the individual (activities that can be done alone, such as reading, watching films vs. many activities typically undertaken in groups in Eliot’s list)

• multicultural (highlights importance of other cultures for Britain, e.g. Indian restaurants, Buddhism …); the use of the term ‘British’ instead of ‘English’ may also be significant in this respect

• contains popular culture (Bob Marley, films of Sylvester Stallone…)

• refers to activities of specific (minority) groups within society (the Hare Krishna Temple, visits to gay bars)

• includes the importance of globalisation/global culture and consumption (yoga, Buddhism, Sylvester Stallone films, hamburgers)

• includes activities that are not necessarily connoted positively (therapy, the dole office, taking drugs)

Hanif Kureishi's List of Typically British Activities

descriptions

→ Kureishi’s list is much more open/inclusive than Eliot’s

→ recalls Williams’ third use of culture (everyday activities of individuals within a culture)

→ also fits in well with Williams’ fourth use of culture (includes difference e.g. in terms of religion, (mental) health and sexuality)