Page 10 - Introducing Cultural Studies

haracteristics of Cultural Studies

Just because cultural 1. Cultural studies aims 2. Cultural studies is not
studies is practically to examine its subject simply the study of
impossible to define, it matter in terms of cultural culture as though it was
does not mean that practices and their a discrete entity
anything can be cultural relation to power. Its divorced from its social
studies or cultural constant goal is to or political context. Its
studies can be just expose power objective is to
anything. The history of relationships and understand culture in all
cultural studies has examine how these its complex forms and to
provided it with certain relationships influence analyse the social and
distinguishable and shape cultural political context within
characteristics that can practices. which it manifests itself.
often be identified in
terms of what cultural
studies aims to do.

3. Culture in cultural 4. Cultural studies 5. Cultural studies is
studies always performs attempts to expose and committed to a moral
two functions: it is both reconcile the division of evaluation of modern
the object of study and knowledge, to overcome society and to a radical
the location of political the split between tacit line of political action.
criticism and action. (that is, intuitive The tradition of cultural
Cultural studies aims to knowledge based on studies is not one of
be both an intellectual local cultures) and value-free scholarship
and a pragmatic objective (so-called but one committed to
enterprise. universal) forms of social reconstruction by
knowledge. It assumes a critical political
common identity and involvement. Thus
common interest cultural studies aims to
between the knower and understand and change
the known, between the the structures of
observer and what is dominance everywhere,
being observed.
but in industrial capitalist
societies in particular.

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