Culture, Rituals, Relativism, Artifacts, and Stuart Hall’s Media Critique

• Nasarima / Nasarima (spelled various ways in slides) discussed as an example of how outsiders study a culture and how we view “the other.” The slide suggests scientists and anthropologists have studied this group for decades; it invites reflection on our own assumptions about sameness and difference.
• Core takeaway from opening slides: do not take our own lifestyle for granted; recognize that we are part of a larger human picture; seek compassion and understanding across differences.
• Prompt question: who are the Nasarima? The slide answers “us” in the sense of The United States; the term Nacho Rama is spelled backwards to signal a critique of how one might label another culture and how that labeling reveals assumptions about our own culture.
• The PowerPoint vignette uses a hypothetical documentary frame:
  • Travel through a made-up documentary world where Nasarima natives use a drive-through window for meals without leaving their vehicle, and where caloric intake is not fully used by the body, leading to regular physical activity by running in place around the community. This is a caution against exoticizing or decontextualizing other cultures using scientific or anthropological language; it also invites comparison to American life.
• Concept: rituals
  • Defined as established procedures and ceremonies that mark life transitions and transmit cultural norms across generations (norms, values, practices).
  • Example: grooming practices; baptism as a rite of passage in Christian contexts; New Year’s Day as a calendar marker reflecting seasonal change.
  • Emphasis: rituals reflect and transmit a culture’s norms and values across generations.
• Visual cue: hairstyles reflect social change
  • The bob hairstyle in the 1920s (Harper’s Bazaar) as a marker of cultural change; as fashion changes, hairstyles reflect shifting social norms.
  • Afrocentric style and Black Power era (1960s–1970s) as a cultural shift in dress and identity.
  • Resource: CUNY FIT Fashion Institute timeline showing evolution of dress: formal wear in early 1900s, more casual styles by the 1990s, and shifts into the 21st century.
• Data points about values and cross-cultural differences
  • Voting intentions before Barack Obama’s presidency (02/2008): data show shifts in attitudes toward African American presidential candidates; contextual factors include the Black Power era and the civil rights movement; fluctuations tied to policy and social change.
  • Women’s work outside the home: historical attitudes show a decline in the belief that women should stay home; roughly 40% in the 1970s, down to around 15% by 1998, indicating a major shift in gender roles.
  • Central claim: values influence self-perception and cultural norms; values shape norms and actions.
• Concept: values and work ethic across cultures
  • General Social Survey finding: 72% would continue to work even if financially secure for life.
  • Cross-cultural contrast: Americans often display a stronger emphasis on work as a part of identity; data suggest higher willingness to work and a stronger work ethic in the U.S. relative to some other countries (example contrasts with Japan).
  • The lesson invites comparing how cultures define “work” and its purpose (self-worth, societal contribution, status).
• Central notion: artifacts as objects that encode a culture
  • Final project focus: analyze a Black cultural artifact to demonstrate its representation of African American or global Black cultures.
  • How artifacts reveal norms, values, and social realities; artifacts can reflect the minds of a society or the socialities of their times.
  • Examples of artifacts to consider in a cross-cultural frame: pyramids, Stonehenge, Mayan calendars, Roman coins, medieval manuscripts, Ming dynasty vases, American Indian arrowheads, Renaissance paintings, World War II diaries, 19th-century photographs.
• Evolution of communication and transport as cultural artifacts
  • From carrier pigeons to newspapers, telegraphs, and telephones; roughly 150 years later, social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter) and smartphones enable instant global communication.
  • Timeline example: up to 2006 (Facebook era) and beyond.
  • Technology also changes how material goods are moved: globally, roughly $60\%$ of people still move heavy loads by traditional methods (carrying on backs, handcarts); about a third rely on such methods in today’s global distribution landscape.
• Global variation in movement of goods
  • On average, about $\frac{1}{3}$ of the world still uses traditional/manual methods to move heavy loads; others use mechanized transport.
  • This contrast highlights how different economies and technologies shape daily life and perception across cultures.
• Cultural diversity and subcultures
  • American Amish: a distinct subculture within the broader American mainstream; notable for limited use of technology and cars, reliance on non-digital forms of transport; they exemplify how a group can be American yet culturally distinct.
  • Counterculture (e.g., Hippies): a subculture that challenges mainstream social norms rather than withdrawing entirely; example highlights how countercultures relate to or challenge dominant norms.
  • Distinction: subcultures vs countercultures; both exist within a dominant culture but diverge in practices, technologies, and values.
• Cultural relativism vs ethnocentrism
  • Cultural relativism: the idea that beliefs and practices should be understood within their own cultural context; some scholars treat it as absolute and non-judgmental.
  • Ethnocentrism: judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture; can legitimize superiority and marginalize others.
  • Examples used to illustrate tensions:
  • Breastfeeding practices in different societies; some places encourage breastfeeding, others favor formula for various reasons.
  • Child labor laws historically vs present-day debates; how norms shift over time.
  • Dress codes and modesty; what is acceptable in public spaces varies by culture.
  • Public affection and LGBTQ+ rights (e.g., same-sex marriage) and their acceptance varies across societies.
  • Eating habits and portion sizes; cultural norms around food reflect broader values and health practices.
  • Language and expectations about speaking English in certain spaces; accents as markers of culture.
  • Colonialism, imperialism, colonizer vs colonized perspectives; the dynamic of cultural judgment and power.
• The question: should we condemn practices from other cultures?
  • Some argue for cultural relativism as an absolute stance against judging other beliefs and practices.
  • Others argue that certain universal rights or universal moral concerns require critique; ethical issues (e.g., death penalty) often lead to ethnocentric judgments or cross-cultural debates.
• Key takeaways about culture (summary points)
  • Major elements of culture: symbols, language, norms, values, artifacts.
  • Language enables social interaction and shapes perception of concepts and objects.
  • Subcultures and countercultures exist within dominant cultures and illustrate cultural diversity.
  • Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism present ongoing tensions when evaluating cultural practices.
  • Questions to consider: how does language illustrate culture and social order? is it appropriate to condemn practices in other cultures, or does that undermine cultural relativism?
• Transition to Stuart Hall and non-black pop culture
  • Focus shifts to Stuart Hall, a key British-Afro-Caribbean sociologist/critic who analyzes media representations and ideologies of racism in Britain.
  • Hall’s central claim: media often sustains racist ideologies through both overt and inferential means, and the struggle against these ideologies requires more than surface-level remedies; it requires addressing deeper, non-ideological dimensions of racism.
  • The module introduces the BBC program It Ain't Half Racist Mum (1979) and the group CARM’s response, highlighting how media can shape public perceptions and reinforce stereotypes.
• It Ain't Half Racist Mum (BBC, 1979) and media critique
  • The program generated a large response (e.g., over $600$ letters to the BBC) and sparked internal debates about the portrayal of race on television.
  • Hall argues that laughter at stereotypes can normalize prejudice and that media can present seemingly balanced stories while reinforcing harmful myths.
  • Examples from the program illustrate how white, ‘neutral’ experts can frame Black and minority communities as problems, reinforcing racialized narratives.
• How media constructs racial narratives
  • Stereotypes are often embedded in documentaries and news reporting through the selection of “experts” who appear objective but reproduce racialized frames.
  • The use of the “expert” voice or the “white authoritative” voice helps produce a sense of objectivity while masking bias.
  • The documentary frames Black communities through a deficit lens (poverty, crime) and excludes counter-narratives or situational factors that complicate the story.
• Hall’s critique of discourses and the “white gaze”
  • “White gaze” or “white eye” refers to the way Western or colonial power structures shape representations of colonized or racialized groups.
  • The idea is that Western media often frames non-white people as objects to be observed, analyzed, or judged from a dominant perspective.
  • The slide on the “white eye” emphasizes that the history of slavery and conquest has been narrated by the winners, often legitimizing domination and erasing the perspectives of the observed groups.
• Historical reference and theoretical backdrop
  • Edward Long (an Englishman who wrote about Jamaica) represents early colonial/imperial perspectives that positioned White supremacy as natural or superior; his writings reflect a “great chain of being” mentality and subordination hierarchies.
  • The critique emphasizes how colonial histories underpin contemporary media representations and racial ideologies.
• Slavery archetypes in media
  • The archetype of slaves in media often shows enslaved people as faithful, loyal, yet capable of turning “nasty” under certain conditions; this complexity is used to justify or naturalize domination in film and literature (e.g., references to Gone with the Wind).
• Overall aim of Hall’s framework (as presented in the lecture)
  • To understand not just what is on screen, but how racist ideologies become popular and how to develop effective strategies to challenge them.
  • To examine both overt racism (explicit, direct) and inferential racism (systemic, embedded in institutions and practices).
• Practical implications for students
  • When analyzing artifacts or media, consider discursive power, who is making the judgments, and whose voices are centered or marginalized.
  • Reflect on how imagery, language, and framing create or challenge racialized stereotypes.
  • Be attentive to the difference between individual prejudice and systemic structures that perpetuate inequality.
• Final prompts for reflection
  • How do you assess whether a practice from another culture should be condemned? Can cultural relativism ever justify harm?
  • In contemporary media, how can we recognize, critique, and resist racist ideologies that appear as neutral or balanced representations?
  • How does the concept of the “white gaze” help explain why some portrayals remain persistent despite social progress?
• Note on course structure and goals (relevant to exam prep)
  • Throughout the semester: focus on symbols, language, norms, values, artifacts as core elements of culture.
  • Distinguish between subcultures and countercultures and identify examples within Black cultures globally.
  • Apply cultural relativism and ethnocentrism concepts to contemporary debates (diet, gender roles, religion, law, etc.).
  • Engage with Hall’s media critique to analyze how racism is portrayed and contested in media texts.

Key terms to review

• Rituals, norms, and rites of passage; examples: baptism, New Year’s timing.
• Cultural change and fashion/hairstyles as expression of evolving norms.
• Artifacts as cultural evidence; categories of artifacts across civilizations.
• Cultural relativism vs. ethnocentrism; their strengths, limits, and ethical implications.
• Subcultures vs. countercultures; examples: Amish (subculture), Hippies (counterculture).
• The “white gaze” and the discursive construction of race in media.
• Overt vs. inferential racism; how they manifest in media and policy.
• Stuart Hall’s media theory; racism as ideologically embedded in popular culture; the role of stereotypes in shaping social attitudes.
• Historical context: Edward Long and the “great chain of being”; colonial and imperial legacies in modern media.
• Critical questions for artifacts analysis: how do symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts reveal or obscure Black cultures? how do they relate to broader social orders?