Week I - Barker, Chapters I-II (Intro and Central Problems in Cultural Studies)

Chapter I - Cultural studies are impossible to fully represent in one voice – Barker gives a good reminder that there is SO much here, this, or any, book cannot be completely comprehensive.
The concept of Hegemony – the ruling class seeks power gained by winning consent from the oppressed groups. Can happen in stuff like advertising, etc. Cultural studies will examine the way we become the kind of people that we are. Marxism and capitalism all come into play here – is there hegemony in the capitalist system of suppressing the proletariat?

The study of signs, or semiotics, is important for cultural studies. Saussure believes that cultures make meanings out of signs that have significance to their ways of being. Derrida believes signs have too many meanings to simplify it to Saussure's "binaries" and instead believes in a postmodern web of unlimited meanings. Anti-essentialism means truth is only known in specific cultures and places. It lacks "firm universal foundations." Postmodernism is an "anti-essentialism approach that stresses the constitutive role of unstable language in the formation of cultural meaning." Barker talks about ethnography, textual and reception studies as a means for methodology for cultural studies. Attention is given to how these can be difficult based on the biases present in the person doing the studies and the linguistic uncertainty with which findings are communicated.


Chapter II - There are a variety of problems in cultural studies including language, change, location, etc. Barker outlines the debate between political economy vs. cultural autonomy as "an unneccessary binary division." Meaning is the product of signs and social practices - I wish this author would give more concrete examples of what he's talking about! I am intrigued by the idea that audiences create meaning by how they "accept the texts." Cultural studies is complicated by globalization - how do we define traditional boundaries of cultural in a world with the Internet and corporate marketing?
Great point is made that control of the world political is no longer governed by a few - there is broad governance, making homogenous culture or any challenge to culture difficult to achieve any sort of sweeping change. I think it is hilarious that this author says "most cultural studies" writers are "cryptic" when he's basically so far told us that we can't really know anything because of postmodernist realities.
Interesting discussion about rationality and how it can lead to the desire to dominate. The argument is that rationality has not brought us progress, but oppression. Another problem listed is that of "culture and the body" - in other words, we are emotional creatures, not just rational ones, that are subject to "biochemical actions." Discussion on truth is interesting - honestly, I get so confused by this stuff. Just because I think it is "true and good" does not necessarily mean I'm right, but I see the huge need for cross-cultural understandings of truth. Confusion!!!