Definations_of_Popular_Culture

According to Storey (2001), “popular culture” has six definitions. The first definition denotes an inferior culture comprising of mass-produced commercial products. Products for the “high culture” are however sophisticated that it appeals to an exclusive few. However, the distinction between “popular culture” and “high culture” is unclear. For example, schools now teach Shakespeare as a subject but in the late 19 century, Shakespeare was part of popular theater. Hall in Storey argued that institutions like the educational system is influential in determining if a product is for the “popular culture” or “high culture”. The second definition denotes a widely-liked culture. Two problems exist with this definition. Firstly the definition must contain a quantitative bracket which “widely-liked” does not have. Secondly, as a product is widely liked, it must also include members from the minority elite and this raises the question if a widely-culture is actually that of the popular culture. The third definition equates “popular culture” with “mass culture”. There are several critiques of this definition. The first group argues that mass-produced products do not demand sophisticated discrimination from its users. But if this were true, then all albums and movies would be successful. The second group presents “popular culture” as “dream world” wherein people fulfill their collective but suppressed wishes. For example, Christmas enable people to feel surprised through the exchanging of gifts. The third group asserts that popular culture is an imported American culture. For many Brits in 1950s, American culture emancipated them from the ambiguity of British cultures. The fourth definition argues that the “people” created popular culture as a symbolic protest against modern capitalism. However, the constituents of the “people” remains unspecified. The approach also avoids the commerciality of resources, a capitalistic feature, necessary to produce that culture. It is inconceivable that everyone could produce a culture collectively from raw materials. The fifth definition shows the three approaches of the neo-Gramscian camp. The first approach would perceive popular culture as a domain wherein dominant groups manufacture products to gain approval from subordinate groups. The second approach would perceive popular culture as domain where the dominant and subordinate societies interact through “resistance” and “incorporation’. According Gramsci, an Italian Marxist, the interaction of “resistance” and “incorporation allows any texts or practices to exist as either a product of popular culture or high culture at any given historical time. For example, seaside holiday was once a holiday for the aristocrat but now is a common vacation type. The third approach adds a political dimension to popular culture. Proponents of this approach regard popular culture as a place where “people”, regardless of their class and ethic differences, are bound together with a common political cause differing that from the power-holders. The sixth definition revolve around the debate of post-modernization. The post-modernist contends that is no longer possible to distinguish the popular from the high culture. On one hand, this view celebrates the extinction of elitism. But on the other hand, it is the very extinction which critiques grim about. The extinction of a high culture effectively means that every product has a commercial complexion, rather than an intrinsic artistic value. Regardless of which definition readers subscribe, one fact remains clear; for a popular culture to come about, a majority sector is necessary. Industrialization and urbanization created this social class. Industrialization changed the relationship nature of employer-employee from one based on mutual obligations to one that is income-driven resulting in the majority working class. Urbanization divided residential areas according to the social classes of its inhabitants. Thus we have residential areas for working class. Storey, J. 2001, “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” 3rd edition, Prentice Hall.