Cultural Turn
According to McLennan he believed that the cultural turn had taken place during the 1980’s and it involved an increase in cultural studies, it was largely inspired by postmodern and post-structuralist ideas, as well the anticipated inspiration of culture, knowledge, consumption lifestyle and identity in a contemporary capitalist society itself (McLennan, 2014, pg. 10). Since some of the key features of the cultural turn are linked to postmodern, it can be assumed that it came about as a response to modernism (McLennan, 2014).
The Cultural turn in current times can be looked at in two main forms, ‘epistemological’ and ‘historical’. By epistemological it refers to the notion that culture is universally fundamental of social relations and identities; and it is based on theoretical facts (Nash, 2001). Anthony Giddens was one of the most significant sociologists who captured the idea that ‘culture is constitutive of social relations and identities’; through this his central theme was about the relationship between structure and agency. The notion that culture is constitutive is mainly linked to post-structuralism (Nash, 2001, pg.78).
Whereas, the historical case refers to a contemporary society in which culture plays an unparalleled role in social relations and identities, it is therefore based on observations of changes in social life (Nash, 2001). The outcome of a loss in faith in modern narratives of progress through reason and science and the overall collapse of predominant norms and values is due to a strong emphasis which is placed on fragmentation and individualism (Nash, 2001). Hence, for the longest period structuralist-f...
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...ultural turn mentioned earlier are the acceptance of agency and subjectivity (Nash, 2001). Therefore it is of utmost importance that the planner does not allow his/her own decisions to impact on work that they are a part of.
The works of advocacy planners are to help ease the planning processes of the weak and powerless against those whom have power. However, marginalized groups often feel overwhelmed and scared of those who hold power (Davidoff, 1965). Therefore, those who have power remain with power and the poor are eliminated. For instance in the “Dixon Case” mentioned earlier, the taskforces together with planners did not address the issue of social planning and community organization, rather their focus was on overcrowding which disfavoured the Somalis. And hence the poor who were supposed to be helped were in fact the ones who suffered from the outcome.
Jameson, Frederick. "Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism" New Left Review. 146 (July-August 1984) Rpt in Storming the Reality Studio. Larry McCaffrey, ed. Durham, NC: Duke UP, 1992.
From a researcher or policymaker's point of view and on an international scale, policy analysis and management professor Andrea Parrot stresses that ethics are culturally and historically determined. When members of one culture try to impose their ethics and values on another culture, the situation is inherently complex.
This sociological study will define the definition of “multiculturalism” in terms of the Americanized version of “culture” put forth by Ben Agger. Agger’s perception of multiculturalism is part of the French system of post modernism, which developed in the dynamic philosophies of Lyotard, Foucault, Derrida, and Baudrillard. In this manner, Agger, defines the underlying postmodernism of French philosophy to be a definition of an Americanized ideology that sought to expand the study of class, race, and gender. More so, Derrida (1970) defines the diversity of social meaning in society, which goes beyond the generalization of Marxism and positivistic thought: “The total body of myth belonging to a given community is comparable to its speech” (p.6 of file--no page numbers shown). This definition provides an acute and multivariate understanding of the dynamics of Agger’s version of multiculturalism in terms of the postmodern French movements of the mid-20th century:
Postmodernism movement started in the 1960’s, carrying on until present. James Morley defined the postmodernism movement as “a rejection of the sovereign autonomous individual with an emphasis upon anarchic collective anonymous experience.” In other words, postmodernism rejects what has been established and makes emphasis on combined revolutionary experiences. Postmodernism can be said it is the "derivate" of modernism; it follows most of the same ideas than modernism but resist the very idea of boundaries. According to our lecture notes “Dominant culture uses perception against others to maintain authority.”
The idea of a “social structure” is probably one of the most popular and influential concepts in the world of sociology, with social theorists from Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and Parsons, all base their work off the fundamental idea that there is a large societal structure which pl...
“According to, Stuart Hall, “Cultural Studies: Two Paradigms” from Media, Culture and Society, Raymond Williams and E.P Thompson summarize about the way they saw culture, they refer it to the way of life and saw mainstream media as the main role in capitalist society. “Williams says that, his perspective and ideas are referred to culture as to social practice, he saw “culture as a whole way of life” and as to structuralism that makes the concept of
In 1929, Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre founded the journal, ‘Annales d’historie économique et sociale’. This journal became a rallying point for reform minded historians. These liberal historians believed that if historians were to understand the past they must diverge into other disciplines. The Annales School’s relationship with sociology has often been mentioned specifically in relation the sociological concepts of structuralism and post-structuralism. Both, are very important concepts in the academic discipline of sociology. Structuralism being the belief that our lives are not random but structured by certain regularities that shape our lives.
To some degree everyone is influenced by social identity, the theory composes the idea that the social world is divided into ...
Some sociologists claim that what changes primarily is the social system and religious change is an effect of the change in the former. It is not religion but, to a larger extent, the economy that is supposed to legitimize reality. From this perspective it is the social system that changes and this change in relation to religion means secularization, which generally speaking means the diminishing impact of religion on social life at various levels, degrees and intensities. Theories such as Luckmann’s privatization thesis or Hervieu-Le´ger’s emotional theory of religion may be categorized as giving priority to changes within the individual. The fundamental thought is that in contemporary society it is primarily the individual who changes. It is the individual that seeks direct contact with the sacral sphere, is driven by emotion, feeling, a personal and individualized need. The third current of theoretical solutions to the question of what predominates in modern and post-modern changes is the one that points to religion itself as the sphere of these changes. It is neither the society nor the individual, but rather religion that is pushed to the forefront of the phenomenon. Religion in confrontation with modernity takes on new forms which function well in the modern
On a general level, structuralism holds that both individuals and the realities they share are signified and constructed by a series of cultural influences which create meaning. The self is said to be a construct of its environment and selves in combination project meaning onto their experienced reality; a reality which in turn becomes reflective of the shared consciousness. This symbiotic relationship between the formulation of a reality and the nature of a collective allow meaning to be interpreted based on the system of constructed codes which informs it.
“Culture” is a term that over the years, has taken many forms, served many purposes and has been defined in a variety of contexts. At the rise of the industrial era, inhabitants of rural areas began to migrate to cities, thus starting urbanization. As this new era began to unfold, urbanization, mass production, and modernization became key ingredients in the transformation of culture. As more people became literate and the production of mass media such as magazines, pamphlets, newspapers etc. increased, many had the option and desire to identify collectively – popular culture began to rise. Popular or “mass” culture can be described as a “dynamic, revolutionary force, breaking down the old barriers of class, tradition, taste, and dissolving
In his article “Culture Is Ordinary”, Raymond Williams defines culture, based on his knowledge, and experience –which would, as he defines, would be his culture. He starts his article with simply giving a definition according to his understanding by telling what is and is not culture, and continues with the reasons he doesn’t agree with some of Marxist ideas of culture, and that of F. R. Leavis’. While giving reasons for his disagreements, he gives solid examples from both people he knows and doesn’t know.
In chapter 1, the true definition of culture within social life will be emphasized with the aim to further clarify the importance of culture within everyday life and human interaction. There are different definitions of culture and this chapter highlights quite a few. There will also be a focus on the Nigerian culture using Hofstede’s dimensions of culture and Hall’s model of cultural differences.
The ‘culturalist’ strand in Cultural Studies was interrupted by the arrival on the intellectual scene of the ‘structuralisms’ (Hall, 1980). Structuralism can defined as psychology as the study of the elements of consciousness. The conscious experience can be broken down into basic conscious elements; a physical phenomenon can be viewed as consisting of chemical structures, can break down into basic elements. Structuralism was found by Wilhelm Wundt and he come out with a method known as introspection to understand the basic elements. Introspection involves informally examining human internal thoughts and feelings. In the journal, Stuart Hall view Levi-Strauss as a structuralist because Levi-Strauss said that culture is like language, is composed of hidden rules that govern the behaviour of its practitioners. Besides, he maintains that c...
Kroeber, A. and C. Klockhohn, Culture: A Critical Review of Concept and Definition New York: Vintage Books, 1989.