PPC REVIEWER represents common

experiences of the masses.

• Key Characteristics:
Definition of Popular Culture
o Broad Appeal
1. Tony Bennett's View (1980):
o Mass produced
o is often seen as confusing o Consumed by masses
and contradictory, making it o Everyday Culture
nearly useless without o Lowbrow
proper context. o Short lived
o trendy
2. Raymond Williams' Definitions
(1983): Six Definitions of Popular
Culture (John Storey)
o General Development:
Culture as a process of 1. Popular culture is simply culture
intellectual, spiritual, and that is widely favored or well-
aesthetic growth. liked by many people.

o Way of Life: Culture o Simply defined as culture

referring to a people, a time, that is well-liked by many
or a group’s way of life. people. It is measurable by
its popularity.
o Artistic Practices: Culture
as the works and practices 2. Popular culture is the culture
of intellectual and artistic that is left over after high culture
activities. has been decided.:
o The "leftover" culture after
high culture is determined.
What is Popular Culture?
This includes mass-
• Literal Meaning: produced and
commercialized culture
o From the Latin word
that lacks the exclusivity of
populus, meaning "people."
high culture.
• Basic Definition:
3. Popular culture is as “ mass
o Popular culture includes culture”:
the cultural products,
o A commercial culture
beliefs, and practices
mass-produced for a mass
shared by large groups of
audience. It is seen as
people at a particular time.
formulaic and
It is part of everyday life and
 manipulative, promoting • Bridges Social Classes:
passive consumption.
o Popular culture reduces the
4. Popular culture is the culture gap between the elite class,
that originates from the people.: who traditionally held
knowledge, and the general
o Emerges from the people
public. It encourages
themselves, representing
shared knowledge and
an authentic culture of the
practices.
working class or common
people. • Critical Engagement:
5. Popular culture is defined based o Studying popular culture
on the political concept of helps us critically engage
hegemony by Italian Marxist with media and cultural
Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci ( forms. Instead of being
2009): passive consumers, people
become critics,
o Popular culture is a site of
understanding how culture
struggle between dominant
influences and reflects
and subordinate groups. It
society.
involves negotiation and
resistance, where culture is • Cultural Representation:
both shaped by and
o It represents the everyday
shaping power dynamics in
experiences of people and
society.
how they view themselves
6. Popular culture is one informed and others through cultural
by recent thinking around debate symbols, norms, and
on postmodernism: practices.
o In postmodernism, the
distinction between high
Why Study Popular Culture?
and popular culture
disappears. There is a • Understanding Social Norms:
blurring of boundaries
o Popular culture reflects
between authentic culture
current societal values,
and commercialized mass
which shape our views of
culture.
various groups and
lifestyles.
Roles and Importance of Popular • Cultural Influence:
Culture
 o It helps us analyze how our influence actions and
culture works on us and beliefs.
influences societal
2. Masking or Distortion:
dynamics, behaviors, and
ideologies. o Ideology often involves the
masking or distorting of
• Societal Inclusion:
reality. It presents a false
o Popular culture plays an consciousness, where
important role in uniting powerful groups conceal
diverse groups by providing their domination over the
shared symbols and forms powerless by shaping how
of expression that represent reality is perceived.
broad social experiences.
o Marxism (Karl Marx):
▪ In Marxist theory,
Definition and Importance of ideology is a tool for
Ideology maintaining power
structures and class
• Graeme Turner (1996):
relations. It
o Describes ideology as "the conceals the
most important conceptual exploitation and
category in cultural inequality
studies." embedded in
capitalist systems.
• James Carey (1996):
3. Ideological Forms (Marx 1976a):
o Suggests that British
cultural studies could be o This definition draws
more accurately described attention to how media and
as ideological studies. cultural texts (e.g., TV,
songs, novels) present a
particular view of the world,
Five Definitions of Ideology embedding ideologies
within them.
1. Systematic Body of Ideas:
o Connotations: Ideology
o Ideology can refer to the
operates at the level of
organized set of ideas
hidden meanings, shaping
articulated by a particular
perceptions unconsciously
group. This could include
through connotations
political, social, or
embedded in texts and
professional ideologies that
practices.
 4. Society as Conflictual: • It reveals the hidden dynamics of
conflict and domination in
o Ideology represents society
society.
as one marked by conflict,
structured around • By analyzing texts and practices
inequality, exploitation, and critically, we can uncover the
oppression, rather than underlying power relations and
consensus or harmony. challenge the distortions they
present.
5. Material Practice:
o Ideology is not only a body
of ideas but is also found in Key Concepts of Popular Culture
everyday practices. It is Diffusion
lived out in daily actions
1. Placelessness and Clustering
and behaviors, influencing
how people engage with the o Placelessness:
world around them.
▪ Popular culture
Examples of Ideological Forms creates a sense of
placelessness by
• Political Ideologies:
promoting spatial
o Example: The Labour standardization,
Party's political, economic, which reduces
and social ideas that guide cultural variety. One
its activities. place becomes
indistinguishable
• Media and Cultural Texts:
from another, losing
o Ideology is reflected in its unique
cultural products like geographical
television shows, pop character.
songs, films, and novels,
o Clustering:
which often carry
unconscious meanings and ▪ Popular culture can
reinforce certain also create clusters
worldviews. of similarity as
certain trends and
‘Significance of Studying Ideology
behaviors
• Studying ideology helps us concentrate in
understand how certain groups specific areas, giving
maintain power by shaping beliefs rise to new social
and perceptions. and cultural spaces.
2. Pervasive Influence of Global type of geography
Popular Culture through the
information
o Global popular culture
superhighway.
spreads through various
media and networks,
influencing cultures across
Types of Diffusion
the world and contributing
to cultural 1. Hierarchical Diffusion
homogenization. This can
o Cultural trends spread from
diminish the
influential figures or places
distinctiveness of local
(e.g., celebrities, urban
cultures.
centers) down to the
3. Creation of New Places general population.
o Popular culture doesn’t just 2. Contagious Diffusion
eliminate cultural
o Cultural ideas or products
distinctions; it also creates
spread rapidly and widely
new kinds of places. For
through a population, akin
example:
to a virus.
▪ Television: Acts as a
3. Relocation Diffusion
"gathering place"
where people come o Cultural ideas move from
together to one place to another
experience the same through physical
content, creating a movement, such as
shared social migration.
space.
4. Stimulus Diffusion
▪ Cyberspace: The
o A cultural idea spreads but
rise of personal
is altered by the recipients,
computers and
creating a variation of the
internet access has
original concept.
generated virtual
spaces. Cyberspace
is a metaphorical
Impact of Diffusion on Geography
location that
connects people • The diffusion of popular culture
globally, through global media and the
emphasizing the internet leads to the reduction of
creation of a new geographical boundaries and
 distinctiveness, creating a o Cultural capital (knowledge
globalized culture where regions and skills) can maintain
share similar trends, ideas, and power structures, as it
products. benefits those of higher
status and is validated in
Conflict Theory
institutions like schools.
Introduction to Conflict Theory
o Education: Schools often
• Definition: Conflict theory,
reinforce class distinctions
developed by Karl Marx, is a
by exchanging cultural
macro-oriented sociological
capital for success and
perspective that views society as a
credentials.
constant arena of inequality,
leading to conflict and social 3. Modern Conflict Theory:
change.
o Expands to other areas
• Core Idea: Society is in a such as race, gender, and
perpetual struggle for limited politics, reflecting struggles
resources, causing tension over power between elites
between groups, especially the and marginalized groups.
Bourgeoisie (those with
resources) and the Proletariat
(those without). Conflict Theory and Social Institutions
• Education System: Wealthier
students generally have more
Key Concepts of Conflict Theory
opportunities and resources,
1. Economic Inequality: reinforcing class divisions.
Example: Finland’s education
o Conflict theory emphasizes
system, where public schools
materialism and economic
benefit from equal access.
production as central to
understanding societal • Gender in Family: Conflict theory
conflicts. addresses the power dynamics
within families, often showing men
o Material Production of
in dominant roles over women.
Culture: Economic power
affects cultural control, • Criminal Justice System:
making it harder for the less Wealthier individuals often receive
powerful to adapt to lenient punishments,
cultural changes. demonstrating the influence of
power on justice.
2. Pierre Bourdieu’s Cultural
Capital:
 • Racism: Movements like 1. Action Based on Meaning: People
#BlackLivesMatter highlight act toward things based on the
systemic racial discrimination and meanings they assign to them.
social conflict based on race.
2. Meaning Through Interaction:
Meanings are shaped by social
interactions.
Conflict Theory in Popular Culture
3. Changeable Meaning: The
• Marxist Theory in Films:
meanings people assign are not
o Titanic: Demonstrates fixed; they can change.
class struggle through
Purpose and Application
character interactions and
physical separation of • Focuses on micro-level analysis
classes, highlighting (small group interactions) to
capitalist greed. understand day-to-day behavior
and the acceptance or rejection of
o Avatar: Shows a socialist
norms.
uprising against capitalist
exploitation, as the Na’vi • Example in Society:
resist human invasion and Understanding concepts like
reclaim their resources. gender, race, and symbols (e.g.,
the changing meaning of the
• Memes: Used as tools to critique
rainbow or American flag).
power dynamics, especially
regarding government and justice. Notable Figures
What is Symbolic Interactionism? • George Herbert Mead: Known as
the father of symbolic
• Definition: A sociological
interactionism, emphasized the
approach that explores how
“self” through "I" (spontaneous
humans and society interact
self) and "Me" (social self).
through symbols and the
meanings they assign to those • Charles Horton Cooley: Known
symbols. Developed from George for the concept of the "looking-
Herbert Mead’s teachings. glass self."
• Core Idea: Human actions and • Herbert Blumer: Expanded
interactions are understood Mead's ideas and coined
through meaningful "symbolic interactionism."
communication and symbols.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Key Tenets by Herbert Blumer
• Strengths:
 o Focus on individual • Definition: Often associated with
actions. the elite or upper class, high
culture includes sophisticated
o Provides insight into small-
cultural products and practices.
scale human interactions.
It's exclusive due to factors like
o Emphasizes variable wealth, education, and social
perceptions and human status.
agency.
• Key Figures: Scholars like
• Weaknesses: Matthew Arnold and F.R. Leavis
described high culture as the "best
o Subjective interpretation of
that has been thought and written."
symbols can lead to
misunderstandings. • Examples:
o Limited in studying large- o Arts: Ballet, opera,
scale social structures. symphony, museums.

o Overemphasis on individual o Literature: Classical

reality creation, often literature and poetry.
neglecting broader social
o Other: Fine wine, high
factors.
fashion, golf, and exclusive
Symbolic Interactionism in Popular events like the Cannes Film
Culture Festival.

• View of Culture: Culture is • Characteristics: Often has

created and maintained through historical, intellectual, or
interactions, with meanings philosophical significance and is
derived from social context. intentionally sophisticated.

• Examples: 2. Popular Culture

o American Flag: Different • Definition: Accessible to the mass

interpretations reflect society, popular culture includes
national pride or, for some, more widely consumed and
oppression. accessible cultural products. It
tends to be less sophisticated than
o Rainbow Symbol: Initially a
high culture, making it broadly
Christian symbol of hope,
appealing.
now largely associated with
the LGBTQ community. • Examples: Pop music, TV shows,
social media trends, and
High Culture
blockbuster movies.
 • Characteristics: Easily available,
often commercialized, and less
exclusive.
3. Folk Culture
• Definition: Rooted in local
traditions and usually passed
down through generations, folk
culture represents the customs
and practices of a particular group.
• Characteristics: Less influenced
by commercialization and remains
close to traditional values and
community life.

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