Page 30 - Culture Society and Economy

Robotham-02.qxd 1/31/2005 6:21 PM Page 23

TWO Politics as Culture

Stuart Hall

The most explicit theoretical outlook which has separated itself from
economics and marked out a sphere for itself is that of Cultural Studies.
Although some would argue that its moment has passed, it opened the
door and set the stage for an entire line of theory, critique and political
action which is still very influential, especially in the anti-globalization
movement. Originating in Britain in the post-war period, this school has
spread widely to the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, to
Australia and East and Southeast Asia. It therefore has many exponents.
Here I shall deal with the central ideas of Stuart Hall – by common agree-
ment, the pivotal figure in its development – and not with other exten-
sions of cultural studies for which Hall can hardly be held responsible.
Hall’s ideas are of particular interest because he has striven to main-
tain a critical stance to his own work throughout, himself pointing to,
for example, the neglect of both race and gender as well as the only too
striking ‘Britishness’, ethnocentrism and Eurocentrism of cultural studies. 1
Moreover, although Hall was strongly influenced by Althusser’s notions
of structural Marxism, by Foucault and discourse analysis, by Lacanian
psychoanalysis, by Bahktin and semiotics, he has been adamant in main-
taining strong ties to Marxist thinking and to radicalism in general.
Whatever one may say in criticism of his ideas, no one could accuse
Stuart Hall of going over to the Right. Indeed, if Hall can be criticized,
it is for an inclination to a leftist populism, as we shall see. He remains as
he always has been, on the side of the exploited and oppressed, whether
white or black, whosoever may be the source of that oppression.