Lecture 2

Critical positions on the media and popular culture

AIM

1. critically define popular culture
2. contrast idead of 'culture' and 'popular culture' and 'mass culture'
3. introduce cultural studies and critical theory
4. define ideology
5. interrogate the social function of the mass media and the extent to which the media constitutes as a subject

what is culture?

• one of the two or three most complicates words in the english language.
• general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development of a particular society at a particular time
• a particular way of life
• works of intellectuals and especially artistic significance

base

forse of production-materical,tools,workers,skills

relations of production-employer/employee, class, master/slave

stuperstructure

social institution-legal,political,cultural

‘In the social production of their life men enter into definite, necessary relations, that are indispensable and independent of their will, relations of production which correspond to a definite stage of development of their material productive forces. The sum total of these relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society, the real foundation on which rises a legal and political superstructure and to which correspond definite forms of social consciousness. The mode of production of material life conditions the social, political and intellectual life process in general. It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but on the contrary it is their social being that determines their consciousness.

general

At a certain stage in their development, the material productive forces of society come into conflict with the existing relations of production ...

…From forms of development of the productive forces, these relations turn into their fetters. Then begins an era of social revolution.

With the change in economic foundation the whole immense superstructure is more or less rapidly transformed. In considering such transformations it is always necessary to distinguish between the material transformation of the economic conditions of production, which can be determined with the precision of natural science, and the legal, political, religious, artistic or philosophic, in short, ideological forms in which men become conscious of this conflict and fight it out.’

Marx, (1857) ‘Contribution to the critique of Political Economy’