sTRUCTURALISM

STRUCTURALISM - is a way of approaching texts and practices that is derived from the theoretical work of the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure.


Ferdinand de Saussure - proponents structuralism


TWO DIVISIONS OF LANGUAGE - 

  • Langue

  • Parole


Langue - refers to the system of language, the rules and conventions that organize it.


Parole - refers to the individual utterance, the individual use of language.


TWO THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO LINGUISTICS:

  • Diachronic Approach

  • Synchronic Approach


Diachronic Approach- which studies the historical development of a given language


Synchronic Approach- which studies a given language one moment in time.


FOUR TYPES OF FEMINISM - 

  • Radical Feminists

  • Marxist Feminist

  • Liberal Feminism

  • Dual-systems Theory


Radical Feminists - argue that women’s oppression is theresultofthe system of patriarchy


Marxist Feminist - analysis the ultimate source of oppression is capitalism. 

Liberal Feminism - it tends to see the problem in terms of male prejudice against women, embodied in lower expressed the exclusion of women from specific areas of life. 


Dual-systems Theory - represents the coming together of Marxistand radical feminist analysis in the belief that women's oppression is the result of a complex articulation of both patriarchy and capitalism.


FEMINISM - advocates a feminist cultural studies which relates commonly derided popular forms to the condition of their consumption in the lives of sociohistorical constituted audiences’.


Finding a Voice - It is also, and perhaps more fundamentally so, a political movement concerned with women’s oppression and the ways and means to empower women.


Bell Hooks (1989) and Christine Gledhill (2009) - proponents feminism


Queer Theory - provides a discipline for exploring the relationships between lesbians, gay men and the culture which surrounds and (for the large part) continues to seek to exclude us.


Paul Burston and Colin Richardson -  proponents Queer Theory


Simone de Beauvoir’s -  stated the quote ‘one is not born a woman, but, rather, becomes one’


Biological Sex(‘nature’) - referred to as birth sex,natal sex, biological sex or sex; however, sexassigned at birth is the recommended term.


Gender (‘culture’) - the characteristics of women, men, girls and boys that are socially constructed.


Cultural Materialism - It emphasizes the material conditions and practices that shape culture. He argued against the separation of "high" and "low" culture, encouraging a more inclusive approach that considers the entire range of cultural expressions and their social context.


Raymond Williams - proponents CULTURALISM and Cultural Materialism


MATERIAL CONDITIONS -  Understanding the material conditions of ordinary people provides insights into the lived experiences that shape cultural meanings.


ECONOMIC FACTORS - Economic factors influence the availability of resources, the means of cultural production, and the distribution of cultural products.


SOCIAL STRUCTURES - Social structures shape how cultural practices are developed, disseminated, and consumed. They also influence the access that different social groups have to cultural resources.


POLITICAL CONTEXT - The state and political institutions can impact cultural expression through censorship, state-sponsored art, and policies that either support or restrict certain cultural practices.


HISTORICAL CONTEXT - Cultural forms are situated in specific historical contexts, and changes in material conditions over time can lead to shifts in cultural practices and meanings. Examining the historical context helps us understand the development and evolution of cultural forms.


SOCIAL PRACTICES - Manifestation of material conditions in everyday practices,

Engagement and interpretation of cultural products


MARXISM - examines how cultural products, such as movies, music, literature, and other forms of entertainment, reflect and perpetuate the existing social and economic structures.


Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels -  proponents marxism and Socio-political and Economic Theory 


Socio-political and Economic Theory - Analysis of class struggle and the relationship between the proletariat (working class) and the bourgeoisie (capitalist class). 


In the context of Popular Culture - This perspective sees popular culture as a tool for ideological control to reinforce dominant narratives supporting the capitalist system.