CULTURAL STUDIES
Cultural Studies emerged in Britain in the 1950s as a result of the studies by
Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams and Stuart Hall.
The first major event in the history of Cultural Studies was the publication of
the book CULTURE AND SOCIETY by Raymond Williams in 1958.
The second major event in the history of cultural studies was the founding of
CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL STUDIES (CCCS) at the University of
Birmingham in 1964.
Both Raymond Williams and Richard Hoggart, coming from working class
backgrounds, were aware of the tradition of high culture marginalizing the low
culture.
The works by Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams and Stuart Hall made
cultural studies, a prominent academic and theoretical field all over the world.
CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL STUDIES (CCCS)
The term ‘Cultural Studies’ was first used by Richard Hoggart in naming the
centre.
The first director of the centre was Richard Hoggart. Stuart Hall was the first
Associate Director, who later became the director after Richard Hoggart.
STUDY FROM BELOW
Richard Hoggart and Stuart Hall, like Raymond Williams initiated the culture of
‘study from below’. Richard Hoggart himself studied the cultural habits and
peculiarities of the working class and women of his neighbourhood in his book
THE USES OF LITERACY (1957).
Richard Hoggart and later Stuart Hall encouraged young scholars of the centre
to study the everyday lives of people including black and ethnic minorities, and
youth and women belonging to the working class.
Everything that came under the popular culture including food habits, music,
films, plays, reading habits, dress and adolescent magazines became the
subjects of study in the centre.
, RAYMOND WILLIAMS (1921-1988)
Raymond Williams was a welsh political activist, academic and critic.
His book CULTURE AND SOCIETY (1958) is an enquiry into the concept of
culture, and the elements and factors that shape culture in a society.
In the book, he attempts a historical survey of social structures. According to
him, the social structure variants can be classified as:
1. DOMINANT
2. RESIDUAL
3. EMERGENT
DOMINANT – ideology followed by the majority at present
RESIDUAL – ideologies that are outdated but continue to make their presence
felt
EMERGENT – ideology that is in the process of emerging as dominant, and
which is directly opposite to the existing dominant ideology or culture. This
cultural emergence is explained by Raymond Williams by a unique
methodology called “STRUCTURES OF FEELING”
STRUCTURES OF FEELING
The term ‘structures of feeling’ was coined by Raymond Williams to denote the
different voices trying to get prominence, challenging the dominant ideology
or hegemony. He explains this complex term in his book MARXISM AND
LITERATURE (1977).
Structures of Feeling – People understand an emerging idea not as a thought,
but as a feeling. We don’t have to wait for these ideologies to formally come
into being to understand them. We feel them instead.
According to Raymond Williams, what is culture?
Raymond Williams defines ‘culture’ as a whole way of life - material,
intellectual and spiritual
Material – refers to the totality of human experience
Cultural Studies emerged in Britain in the 1950s as a result of the studies by
Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams and Stuart Hall.
The first major event in the history of Cultural Studies was the publication of
the book CULTURE AND SOCIETY by Raymond Williams in 1958.
The second major event in the history of cultural studies was the founding of
CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL STUDIES (CCCS) at the University of
Birmingham in 1964.
Both Raymond Williams and Richard Hoggart, coming from working class
backgrounds, were aware of the tradition of high culture marginalizing the low
culture.
The works by Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams and Stuart Hall made
cultural studies, a prominent academic and theoretical field all over the world.
CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL STUDIES (CCCS)
The term ‘Cultural Studies’ was first used by Richard Hoggart in naming the
centre.
The first director of the centre was Richard Hoggart. Stuart Hall was the first
Associate Director, who later became the director after Richard Hoggart.
STUDY FROM BELOW
Richard Hoggart and Stuart Hall, like Raymond Williams initiated the culture of
‘study from below’. Richard Hoggart himself studied the cultural habits and
peculiarities of the working class and women of his neighbourhood in his book
THE USES OF LITERACY (1957).
Richard Hoggart and later Stuart Hall encouraged young scholars of the centre
to study the everyday lives of people including black and ethnic minorities, and
youth and women belonging to the working class.
Everything that came under the popular culture including food habits, music,
films, plays, reading habits, dress and adolescent magazines became the
subjects of study in the centre.
, RAYMOND WILLIAMS (1921-1988)
Raymond Williams was a welsh political activist, academic and critic.
His book CULTURE AND SOCIETY (1958) is an enquiry into the concept of
culture, and the elements and factors that shape culture in a society.
In the book, he attempts a historical survey of social structures. According to
him, the social structure variants can be classified as:
1. DOMINANT
2. RESIDUAL
3. EMERGENT
DOMINANT – ideology followed by the majority at present
RESIDUAL – ideologies that are outdated but continue to make their presence
felt
EMERGENT – ideology that is in the process of emerging as dominant, and
which is directly opposite to the existing dominant ideology or culture. This
cultural emergence is explained by Raymond Williams by a unique
methodology called “STRUCTURES OF FEELING”
STRUCTURES OF FEELING
The term ‘structures of feeling’ was coined by Raymond Williams to denote the
different voices trying to get prominence, challenging the dominant ideology
or hegemony. He explains this complex term in his book MARXISM AND
LITERATURE (1977).
Structures of Feeling – People understand an emerging idea not as a thought,
but as a feeling. We don’t have to wait for these ideologies to formally come
into being to understand them. We feel them instead.
According to Raymond Williams, what is culture?
Raymond Williams defines ‘culture’ as a whole way of life - material,
intellectual and spiritual
Material – refers to the totality of human experience
