What is Popular Culture and What is Pop Culture Studies

UX Matt
24 Jan 202113:02
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this video lecture, the speaker explores the elusive concept of popular culture, drawing on historical definitions and cultural theorists. They discuss the evolution of the field, from its dismissal by early critics to its recognition as a legitimate area of study, highlighting key figures like Ray Brown who pioneered pop culture studies. The lecture also touches on different perspectives on popular culture, its mass appeal, and its dynamic nature across time and space, encouraging viewers to consider the complex role of culture in society.

Takeaways
  • 😀 Popular culture is difficult to define precisely, often recognized by a gut feeling rather than rigid criteria.
  • 📚 The term 'culture' originates from the idea of cultivating or rearing crops, implying growth and nurturing.
  • 👶 Culture is learned and absorbed, much like a blank slate (tabula rasa) that takes on the flavors of the environment.
  • 📖 E.B. Tylor's definition of culture as a 'complex whole' includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, and customs.
  • 🎭 Raymond Williams offered three definitions of culture: as intellectual development, a way of life, and artistic activity.
  • 🏛 High culture was traditionally seen as the refined and superior cultural expressions, contrasting with mass culture.
  • 🔄 Culture is dynamic, changing through continuous practice and renewal, both subtly and significantly over time.
  • 🌐 Popular culture is often defined in opposition to high culture, with varying perspectives on its value and nature.
  • 🌟 Henry Glassie's formula suggests that popular culture changes more over time than across space, unlike folk culture.
  • 🎓 Ray Brown played a pivotal role in establishing popular culture studies, founding a journal, association, and academic program.
  • 🏫 Popular culture studies have evolved from being disregarded to being a recognized field of academic inquiry and degree programs.
Q & A

  • What is the main challenge in defining popular culture?

    -The main challenge in defining popular culture is its elusive nature, similar to Justice Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity where one knows it when they see it. It's often hard to establish rigid defining characteristics because popular culture is something that is widely recognized and felt rather than strictly defined.

  • Why does the speaker mention Justice Potter Stewart in the context of defining popular culture?

    -Justice Potter Stewart is mentioned to illustrate the difficulty in defining popular culture. Stewart famously said 'I know it when I see it' about obscenity, and the speaker uses this to show that popular culture is similarly recognized by a sense of familiarity rather than a strict definition.

  • What does the speaker suggest about the nature of culture?

    -The speaker suggests that culture is a complex and multifaceted concept that includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, customs, and habits acquired by members of society. It is something that is learned, shared, and continuously produced and reproduced.

  • How does the speaker describe the early anthropological definition of culture by Sir Edward Burnett Tylor?

    -The speaker describes Tylor's definition of culture as a 'complex whole' that includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by a member of society. Tylor's definition is seen as the starting point for understanding the boundaries of culture.

  • What is Raymond Williams' contribution to the understanding of culture?

    -Raymond Williams contributed by offering three broad definitions of culture: as a general process of intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic development; as a particular way of life; and as the works and practices of intellectual and artistic activity. His work challenges exclusionary conceptualizations of culture and emphasizes its ordinary nature.

  • What is the difference between 'high culture' and 'mass culture' according to Matthew Arnold and others influenced by his thinking?

    -According to Matthew Arnold and others influenced by his thinking, 'high culture' refers to the finer, more refined aspects of society, such as fine art, which is in contrast to 'mass culture,' which they viewed as subversive, lacking in order or standards, and potentially harmful to those who consume it.

  • What does the speaker mean when they say 'culture is something that one isn't born with, it's cultivated or grown'?

    -The speaker means that culture is not an inherent trait but rather something that is learned and developed over time through exposure and participation in a society's practices, beliefs, and norms.

  • How does Henry Glassie's definition of popular culture differ from folk culture?

    -Henry Glassie defines popular culture as varying maximally through time but minimally through space, meaning it is widely distributed and changes rapidly over time. In contrast, folk culture varies maximally through space but minimally through time, suggesting it is more region-specific and changes less rapidly.

  • What is the significance of Ray Brown in the institutional history of popular culture studies in the United States?

    -Ray Brown is significant for founding the Journal of Popular Culture, establishing the Center for Popular Culture Studies, and co-founding the Popular Culture Association and the department of Popular Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University, which contributed to the recognition and study of popular culture within academia.

  • What are some of the ways in which popular culture has been approached or defined according to John Storey?

    -John Storey outlines six ways in which popular culture has been defined: as something widely favored or liked, as a reduction of high culture, as mass-produced and standardized, as forms emerging from the masses representing the voice of the people, as a site of ideological struggle, and from a postmodern perspective, as a challenge to the very notion of high and low culture.

  • How can one pursue a degree in popular culture studies?

    -One can pursue a degree in popular culture studies by enrolling in academic programs dedicated to the field, as listed in the script, which offer undergraduate and advanced degrees focusing on the study of popular culture.

Outlines
00:00
📚 Defining Popular Culture

In this video lecture, we will define key terms and trace the institutional history of popular culture in the United States. Popular culture is difficult to pin down and define, much like Justice Potter Stewart's famous statement about obscenity: 'I know it when I see it.' The lecture will cover the fluid and intuitive nature of popular culture and its challenges in establishing rigid definitions. After some housekeeping (like subscribing to the channel), we'll explore initial definitions of culture, using Sir Edward Tylor's comprehensive list and Raymond Williams' perspectives on culture as intellectual, spiritual, and aesthetic development, a way of life, and artistic activity. Williams’ view contrasts with earlier critics who saw culture as only the finest societal achievements.

05:01
🎨 Culture vs. Popular Culture

Culture has historically been seen as the best of society's achievements, in contrast to emerging forms of mass or popular culture, which some critics viewed as subversive and harmful. This exclusionary view was challenged by Raymond Williams in his 1958 essay 'Culture as Ordinary,' arguing that culture is a learned, shared behavior, inherently social, meaningful, and constantly practiced and renewed. John Storey outlines six definitions of popular culture, including its mass appeal, standardization, representation of the people's voice, ideological struggle, and the idea that distinctions between low and high culture might be arbitrary.

10:02
🕹️ Popular Culture Characteristics

Folklorist Henry Glassie offers a perspective on popular culture, highlighting its characteristics through time and space. Popular culture varies minimally through space but maximally through time, using Darth Vader as an example. While the image of Darth Vader remains consistent across various locations, popular culture changes rapidly over time with new characters and versions. This understanding sets the stage for exploring the institutional history of popular culture studies in the United States, acknowledging the contributions of scholar Ray Brown and the establishment of academic programs and journals dedicated to this field.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Popular Culture
Popular culture refers to the ideas, perspectives, attitudes, and cultural goods that are widely distributed and consumed by a large group of people. It is central to the video's theme as it explores the elusive nature of defining what constitutes popular culture. The script uses the example of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's famous 'I know it when I see it' statement to illustrate the difficulty in pinning down popular culture.
💡Cultivation
The term 'cultivation' is etymologically linked to the concept of culture, implying the growth or nurturing of something. In the video, it is used to describe how individuals absorb and are shaped by the culture around them, akin to how crops are cultivated. The script mentions the original meaning of 'culture' from French and Latin roots, emphasizing the idea of nurturing and growth.
💡Raymond Williams
Raymond Williams is a key figure in cultural studies whose work is referenced in the script to discuss the complexity of defining 'culture.' Williams is known for offering multiple definitions of culture, which helps to broaden the understanding of the term within the context of the video. His work is suggested as a resource for further exploration of the topic.
💡E.B. Tylor
Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, or E.B. Tylor, is an anthropologist who provided one of the earliest definitions of culture in his book 'Primitive Culture.' His definition is used in the script as a starting point for understanding the breadth of culture, including knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, and customs.
💡Mass Culture
Mass culture is a term used to describe cultural products that are widely distributed to large audiences, often characterized by standardization and commercialization. The script contrasts mass culture with high culture, discussing how mass culture was historically viewed as inferior and potentially harmful, lacking the substance of high culture.
💡Folk Culture
Folk culture, as opposed to popular culture, is defined by Henry Glassie in the script as varying maximally through space but minimally through time. It represents cultural forms that are specific to regions or communities and change slowly over time, in contrast to the rapidly changing nature of popular culture.
💡Cultural Studies
Cultural studies is an academic discipline that examines cultural practices, products, and ideas. The script mentions several intellectual traditions within cultural studies, such as Marxism and the Frankfurt School, that have contributed to the understanding of popular culture.
💡Ideological Struggle
The concept of ideological struggle refers to the conflict between dominant and subordinate groups within culture. The script suggests that popular culture can be a site for such struggles, reflecting power dynamics and the contest over cultural meanings and values.
💡Postmodern Perspective
The postmodern perspective challenges the traditional hierarchies of culture, suggesting that distinctions between high and low culture are arbitrary. The script briefly touches on this view, indicating a shift away from exclusionary definitions of culture.
💡Ray Brown
Ray Brown is a scholar who played a significant role in establishing popular culture studies as an academic field. The script outlines his contributions, including founding the Journal of Popular Culture and the Center for Popular Culture Studies, emphasizing his impact on the institutionalization of the discipline.
💡Birmingham School
The Birmingham School, also known as the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, is mentioned in the script as influential in the study of mass culture and everyday life. Scholars from this school, like Raymond Williams, have been instrumental in shifting attitudes towards the study of popular culture within academia.
Highlights

The lecture begins by defining popular culture as something hard to pin down, like Potter Stewart's definition of obscenity.

The speaker emphasizes the difficulty in establishing rigid definitions for popular culture, often recognizing it intuitively.

A call to action for viewers to subscribe, like, and comment on the video to support the channel.

The importance of not categorizing culture into rigid bins like 'pop', 'elite', or 'mass' culture is discussed.

The etymology of 'culture' is traced back to its agricultural roots, relating to cultivation and nurturing.

E.B. Tylor's anthropological definition of culture as a complex whole is introduced.

Raymond Williams' three broad definitions of culture are presented, emphasizing its multifaceted nature.

The contrast between high culture and mass culture, with the latter being viewed as subversive and harmful, is highlighted.

Raymond Williams' critique of exclusionary conceptualizations of culture and his essay 'Culture as Ordinary' are mentioned.

Culture is described as a learned, shared behavior that is inherently social and requires continuous practice.

The idea that culture is an operating system that humans both run on and program is introduced.

Popular culture is defined in contrast to high culture, with six general ways it has been approached or defined.

Folklorist Henry Glassie's formula for understanding the characteristics of folk and popular culture in relation to time and space is discussed.

The institutional history of pop culture studies in the U.S., starting with Ray Brown's contributions, is outlined.

The evolution of attitudes towards the study of popular culture in academia and the establishment of relevant programs and associations is detailed.

A list of programs for advanced degrees in popular culture studies and archives with pop culture holdings is provided.

The lecture concludes with a final call to action for viewer engagement and support of the channel.

Transcripts

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Culture DefinitionPopular CultureHistorical PerspectiveCultural StudiesRaymond WilliamsRay BrownFolk CultureMedia InfluenceEducational ContentCultural TheorySocietal Impact