Showing papers on "Cultural analysis published in 1996"

Culture and the public sphere

Abstract: Jim McGuigan discusses cultural policy as a manifestation of cultural politics in the widest sense. Illustrating his case with examples from recent cultural policy initiatives in Britain, the United States and Australia, he looks at:* The rise of market reasoning in arts administration* Urban regeneration and the arts* Heritage tourism* Race, identity and cultural citizenship* Censorship and moral regulation* The role of computer-mediated communication in democratic discourse

Psychological Science in Cultural Context

Abstract: For the psychological sciences cultural processes have traditionally served as but a single entry into a considerable list of "phenomena under study." Until recent years, such study has not been richly realized. There are many reasons for the secondary role of a culturally focused psychology. Most prominently, there are two chief ways in which culture figures in the logic of psychological science, and neither of these favors a major professional investment. If one views cultures in terms of a field of differences, then culture largely serves the same scientific role as the study of personality, that is, as a moderator or qualifier for theoretical propositions of a more general scope. Thus, the vigorous scientist will propose a general theory (potentially true for all human organisms) of learning, motivation, memory, perception or the like, in which case cultural variations serve only to qualify the character of the process in varying contexts. Typically, because of the greater scientific stakes in documenting the general as opposed to the particular, cultural variations are either de-emphasized or simply bracketed for "later study." In the second mode of study, culture furnishes the proving ground for the universality of the general theory. Thus, for example, a host of investigators has sought to demonstrate the universality of emotional categories. On this model, culture itself is of secondary interest; cultural distinctiveness is but an impediment to achieving the broader goal of research. Although a sturdy and expanding band of psychologists have nevertheless generated volumes of research on cultural universals and variations (see for

Cultural practices as contexts for development

Abstract: Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1996, Vol 41(4), 396. Contributors to Cultural Practices as Contexts for Development (see record 1995-97387-000) examine an approach to the study of development-in-context that is grounded in the notion of cultural practices. These practices are defined as actions that occur routinely in everyday life and are shared widely by the group. The several writers contributing chapters here illustrate the conceptual and methodological practices of this approach as they are demonstrated in specific studies. Opening with a general introduction to the concept of cultural practices, the bulk of the text documents the following research: moral principles implicit in the practice of where family members sleep each night; development through participation in a sociocultural activity; identity formation among Indian Hindu adolescents in the United States; cultural practices and the concept of individual differences; and the history and current usage of such terms as “practice,” “activity,” “situation,” and “context.” (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Risk perception and social anthropology: Critique of cultural theory*

Abstract: ’Cultural theory’, launched by social anthropologist Mary Douglas, has been highly influential in the inter‐disciplinary field concerned with the study of risk perception and risk communication. The theory derives from the grid‐group analyses that Douglas developed in the 1970s. Cultural theory aims to explain universal ‘cultural bias’ by way of a general typology of group formation and a concomitant cosmology or world view. This article critically examines cultural theory and the study of hazards as culturally construed phenomena.

Theorizing in Qualitative Research: A Cultural Studies Perspective

Abstract: This article discusses the interplay between empirical research and theory in constructionist or cultural studies qualitative research. In cultural studies, theories are seen as different frameworks, not as universal theories about social mechanisms. That is why instead of generalizing understandings, cultural studies and other constructionist approaches aim to particularize understandings of the social. The latter implicates the local, while the former indirectly aims to obviate the local. Instead of assuming that any corner of social reality leads to the traces of some universals to be pointed out in the final analysis, in cultural studies a case study is understood to reveal a local and historically specific cultural or "bounded" system. Because more generally applicable theories are seen differently in this framework, theorizing also assumes another form, which is discussed in the light of concrete examples from the author's own fieldwork.

Media Matters: Race and Gender in U.S. Politics

Abstract: Now, more than 20 years since its initial release, John Fiske’s classic text Media Matters remains both timely and insightful as an empirically rich examination of how the fierce battle over cultural meaning is negotiated in American popular culture. Media Matters takes us to the heart of social inequality and the call for social justice by interrogating some of the most important issues of its time. Fiske offers a practical guide to learning how to interpret the ways that media events shape the social landscape, to contest official and taken-for-granted accounts of how events are presented/conveyed through media, and to affect social change by putting intellectual labor to public use. A new introductory essay by former Fiske student Black Hawk Hancock entitled ‘Learning How to Fiske: Theorizing Cultural Literacy, Counter-History, and the Politics of Media Events in the 21st Century’ explains the theoretical and methodological tools with which Fiske approaches cultural analysis, highlighting the lessons today’s students can continue to draw upon in order to understand society today.

Genealogies for the Present in Cultural Anthropology

Abstract: In the wake of tensions between modern and postmodern sensibilities, what larger directions now emerge in cultural anthropology? In this major work, Bruce Knauft takes stock of important recent initiatives in cultural and critical theory. By combining critical reviews and ethnographic engagements with fresh readings of major figures and approaches, the work develops a larger vantage point for considering the dispersing influence of practice theories, postmodernism, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, modern/post-positive feminism, and multicultural criticisms.

Cultural identity and archaeology: the construction of European communities

Abstract: Cultural identity is a key area of debate in contemporary Europe. Despite widespread use of the past in the construction of ethnic, national and European identity, theories of cultural identity have been neglected in archaeology. Focusing on the interrelationships between concepts of cultural identity today and the interpretation of past cultural groups, Cultural Identity and Archaeology offers proactive archaeological perspectives in the debate surrounding European identities. This fascinating and thought-provoking book covers three key areas. It considers how material remains are used in the interpretation of cultural identities, for example 'pan-Celtic culture' and 'Bronze Age Europe'. Finally, it looks at archaeological evidence for the construction of cultural identities in the European past. The authors are critical of monolithic constructions of Europe, and also of the ethnic and national groups within it. in place of such exclusive cultural, political and territorial entities the book argues for a consideration of the diverse, hybrid and multiple nature of European cultural identities.

Cultural Studies and Communications

Abstract: Part 1 Cultural theory: introduction signification, representation, ideology Althusser and the post-structuralist debate British cultural studies and the pitfalls of identity postmodernism - the rough guide the impossible object - towards a sociology of the sublime subject to change without notice psychology, post-modernity and the popular rethinking mass communications. Part 2 Cultural production: introduction new sexualities in girls' and women's magazines rethinking popular music after rock and soul approaches to the new Hollywood feminism, technology and representation. Part 3 Cultural analysis and consumption - introduction the new revisionism in mass communication research - a reappraisal populism, revisionism and the "new" audience research media dialogue feminism and media consumption, popular culture and the eroticism of little girls ethnography, anthropology and cultural studies.

Managing Cultures: Making Strategic Relationships Work

Abstract: Diagnosing the Role of Culture in Partnerships: Relationships Between Companies A Tie That Binds Culture: What Executives Need to Know Objectifying with a Cultural Tool, The Compass Model: The Path to Cultural Literacy Introducing The Compass Model Examples of Company Cultural Styles National and Individual Cultural Styles Learning Five Essential Cultural Skills: Making Profiles Assessing Strengths and Weaknesses Estimating Cultural Synergy Exercising Cultural Flexibility Interacting with Cultural Literacy Handling Cultural Problems Effectively: Getting Your Expectations Right Discussing Differences Neutrally Understanding Misunderstandings Bending Over Backwards to Accommodate Making Companies Compatible.

Qualitative methods for intervention research

Abstract: Intervention research takes place in field settings and requires understanding of social meanings and social processes. These are tasks for which qualitative research methods are well suited. The purpose of this paper is to provide a starting point for those who would like to learn more about the qualitative research methods used in disciplines where the study of social phenomena in naturalistic settings is common-particularly sociology, cultural anthropology, and human services program evaluation. The paper discusses some ways that qualitative and quantitative methodologies can usefully work together, outlines four key differences in the initial premises of quantitative and qualitative research approaches, briefly reviews some methodological techniques useful in gathering and analyzing qualitative data, and provides suggestions for further reading on various aspects of qualitative research.

Preface: Social Anthropology, Business Studies, and Cultural Issues

Abstract: This issue of ISMO concerns "culture." It is only fair to say that this could mean virtually anything. The following discussion makes some attempt to specify the range of interests and ideas that emerge from the articles. It may be useful, and I hope not too self-indulgent, to begin with some autobiography to explain my own position and give some background to my comments. I began learning in the field of social anthropology in Oxford in 1970, guided by Edwin Ardener, whom many (including myself) consider one of the outstanding intellects in British postwar social anthropology (see, for example, Chapman, 1989; Hastrup, 1989). Social anthropology in Oxford at the time was in the full flush of a theoretical revolution that has often been summarized as a shift from the study of "function" to the study of "meaning" (Ardener, 1971a; Pocock, 1961). Social anthropology in Great Britain had been institutionalized in the period between the wars under two major figures Bronislaw Malinowksi and A.R. Radcliffe-Brown. These two were not, in their own view, in the same theoretical camp, but they are perceived, in retrospect, as sharing some important characteristics of the period. In particular, both conceived of their subject as a "science of society." Radcliffe-Brown, in 1957 (late in his career), published a collection of essays from previous decades and called it A Natural Science of Society. Malinowski, in 1944, published a theoretical manifesto called A Scientific Theory of Culture. There is neither space nor need to go into the detail of the arguments, but the message was clear enough societies were to be studied objectively, as if they were biological species or bits of the physical world; they were to be observed, classified, and detailed in such a way that a closed and determinate science would be developed a science that, bit by bit, would

Emergency Decisions, Cultural-Selection Mechanics, and Group Selection [and Comments and Reply]

Abstract: Emergency behaviors of nonliterate groups are taken as a useful starting point for demonstrating that decisions can be integrated more directly into cultural analysis and that the explanatory pay-offs can be far-reaching. The methodological feasibility of studying group decisions directly is explored through three exceptional tribal ethnographies with a focus on emergency adaptive problem solving and its implications for both cultural- and gene-selection theory. Urgently discussed decision alternatives become apprehensible to fieldworkers through open group debate, while the reproductive effects of decisions are readily assessed whenever groups act in unison. Implications for the development of a more effective theory of cultural microselection and a truly processual definition of culture in its guided phase are suggested. With respect to long-term genetic evolution, the implications of emergency decision making are extended to foragers, exploring special possibilities that enable genetic group selection to become robust when groups are egalitarian and engage in consensual problem solving. Prehistorically, the verdict is that group-selection effects were amplified at the same time that individual effects were suppressed. On this basis it is hypothesized that the genetic evolution of human cooperative and altruistic tendencies can be explained in part by selection at the level of groups rather than inclusive fitness

Social Support in Its Cultural Context

Abstract: Understanding social support within a cultural context requires knowledge of the culture in which support is given and received. This chapter focuses on cultural factors that shape giving and receiving social support among African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, and Native American families. Although these groups are a part of American society, they also function within distinct cultural boundaries that define and provide them with an identity that is uniquely different from the identity of those who are not a part of their group’s culture. Findings suggest that their history, social position, minority group status, and entrance into American society have played major roles in shaping their cultural definition and identity.

Overcoming the problems of cultural differences to establish success for international management teams

Abstract: Discusses the literature on cross‐cultural diversity and team building in a global context. Argues that diversity is to be valued, not seen as a problem. Outlines a framework for building cultural understanding and awareness. Proposes a model for developing effective international management teams.

The Cultural Dimensions of Ecological Literacy

Abstract: (1996). The Cultural Dimensions of Ecological Literacy. The Journal of Environmental Education: Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 5-10.

Communicating Risk in a Cross-Cultural Context: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Rhetorical and Social Understandings in U.S. and British Mine Safety Training Programs

Abstract: This article analyzes how culture influences the rhetorical strategies writers employ to represent expert knowledge in the workplace and the underlying values and assumptions in a culture that enab...

Rethinking cultural sensitivity

Abstract: The concept of cultural sensitivity is located within the tradition of anthropology and the history of colonisation and immigration in Australian society This history provides a basis for examining the largely uncritical introduction of cultural considerations to the discipline of nursing This paper argues that contemporary understandings of multiculturalism in nursing and health care policy tend to obscure, ignore and thus perpetuate notions of racial superiority Recent works in transcultural nursing are med to illustrate the way in which ahistorical and therefore quite arbitrary traits are attributed to particular cultural groups This perspective, given legitimacy in terms of cultural sensitivity, encourages political neutrality and thereby avoids questioning the discriminatory practices embedded in fundamental social relations

Rethinking cultural sensitivity

Abstract: The concept of cultural sensitivity is located within the tradition of anthropology and the history of colonisation and immigration in Australian society. This history provides a basis for examining the largely uncritical introduction of cultural considerations to the discipline of nursing. This paper argues that contemporary understandings of multiculturalism in nursing and health care policy tend to obscure, ignore and thus perpetuate notions of racial superiority. Recent works in transcultural nursing are med to illustrate the way in which ahistorical and therefore quite arbitrary traits are attributed to particular cultural groups. This perspective, given legitimacy in terms of cultural sensitivity, encourages political neutrality and thereby avoids questioning the discriminatory practices embedded in fundamental social relations.

Reflections on Amazonian Anthropologies of the Body

Abstract: t has become commonplace for anthropologists to criticize the culture-boundedness of the notion of mind/body dualism that underlies the division between psychiatry and "physical" biomedicine and relegates the cultural analysis of illness to the periphery of discourse in the "hard" medical sciences. Yet as these articles by McCallum and Pollock note, much of the critical anthropology of the body that has emerged over the past decade or so remains locked into notions of the Body as a sort of precultural, asocial entity. Ethnographers who work with lowland South American Indians experience special frustration with the dense, abstruse literature that treats the Body as a material substrate on which meaning can be encoded, the corporeal ground for a Self devoid of sociality. Native Amazonians, as these articles so clearly point out, see things differently. In diverse native South American cultures, bodies are viewed as fundamentally social products, and illness and healing are explicitly social processes. Both Pollock and McCallum are concerned with breaking down conceptual dichotomies-mind/body, matter/spirit, nature/culture, biological/social-by elucidating indigenous perspectives that either do not recognize these as distinct domains or see them as interdependent. McCallum's sensitive analysis of the role of "knowledge" in the development of the Cashinahua person offers a richly detailed reply to the question "How can a whole body act as 'mind'?" Consciousness and knowledge are products of both social interactions and human interactions with the material environment, and the Cashinahua have elaborate notions about how body organs mediate processes of learning and knowing. McCallum makes a persuasive case for the importance of delving into indigenous epistemologies in order to understand native perceptions of health and illness. McCallum is on shakier ground when she claims that (with the exception of some of her British colleagues) Amazonian ethnographers persist in reifying the static, dualistic oppositions of nature versus culture, biological individual versus social person. The notion of the socially constituted body on which she plants the Union Jack is territory that has been and is being explored by a number of anthropologists on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and on both sides of the Equator. Indeed, one of the major trends in contemporary cultural analyses of lowland South America is the questioning and rethinking of the dialectical oppositions that were centerpieces in Amazonian studies in the 1960s and 1970s. Pollock's article is a

Out in the open: Reflections on the history and practice of cultural studies

Abstract: This essay addresses the institutional conditions of cultural studies, especially those bearing on cultural studies teaching. It does so by reviewing the history of the Open University Popular Culture course from an insider's perspective. Whereas most published accounts of this course have related it closely to the concerns of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, this essay suggests that the two projects — while overlapping in certain respects — are more usefully thought of as distinct. Having disentangled the history of the Open University course from that of the Birmingham Centre, the author goes on to advance a more general argument concerning the politics and practice of cultural studies pedagogy. The essay's main contention in this regard is that a conception of cultural studies teaching which connects it to the cultivation of resistive practices in the classroom is incoherent. It is suggested that this now influential current of thought is best assessed as a negative out...

Mapping the Interstices Between Afro-American Cultural Discourse and Cultural Studies: A Prolegomenon

Abstract: Afro-American cultural discourse in and of itself is a complicated terrain to negotiate. To comprehensively situate it alongside other politically engaged theoretical discourses requires a breadth and depth the finite constraints of this essay do not allow. Thus, my title: A Prolegomenon. What follows, then, is in the nature of an approach to a longer intervention that requires the work of others; as such an approach it raises the issues and goes over some of the ground of recently argued critiques of Afro-American Studies and literary discourse. The problem of tackling the complexities of the relationship between something as amorphous as Afro-American' cultural discourse and cultural studies (or cultural theory) is further exacerbated by how little is known about it. I begin, therefore, with a note about terms. For the purposes of my discussion here, when I refer to AfroAmerican cultural discourse, I include under that rubric Afro-American Studies and Afro-American literary discourse. Afro-American Studies is a name for the institutionalization of a set of imperatives, approaches, political engagements, and privileged "interdisciplinariness" as paradigms and sites for counter-hegemonic cultural work. Historically, intellectuals involved in Afro-American Studies have seen their work as explicit and implicit interruptions (or attempts to interrupt) the traditional academic strangleholds on knowledge categories. The object of their interventions is to change the world by means of demystifying the relationship of "knowledge" producers to "knowledge,"