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Summary Cultural Theory and Popular culture: An Introduction Chapter 2: ‘The Culture and Civilization’ Tradition
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Cultural Theory and Popular culture: An IntroductionChapter 2: ‘The Culture and Civilization’ Tradition
In the 19th century a change occurred in the power structure. Until then it was the policing of those with
political power of those without which was thought necessary. This relationship changed when those with
power lost their means of control, and when they recovered it culture itself ceased to be a symptom of power
but a matter of power. There are two factors for this change: industrialization and urbanization. The model of
this change is as follows (the Manchester example):
• Towns evolved clear lines of class segregation.
• Work relations of industrial capitalism made residential separation in these towns.
• As a result of changes in living-working relations, cultural changes occurred.
These developments threatened traditions, organized cultures, and social stability. There became a clear
cultural segregation between two cultures. The culture that supplied profit weakened authority through
cultural commercialism, while the culture that was created by and for middle class artisans offered a
challenge to political authority. This marked the beginning of ‘two nations’. Here is where the political study
of popular culture first emerges.
Matthew Arnold
His significance is the ‘culture and civilization’ tradition. We will focus mainly on his work of Culture and
Anarchy, and the Arnoldian perspective on popular culture.
Two things about culture for Arnold:
1. The ability to know what is best.
2. It is what is best.
3. Mental and spiritual application of what is best.
4. The pursuit of what is best.
He divided society into the categories of Barbarians (aristocracy), Philistines (middle class) and Populace
(working class) – under all ‘our class divisions, there is a common basis of human nature’. He merely
suggests that the aristocracy and the middle class are simply a few levels ahead on the evolutionary scale.
There are two functions of culture:
1. It must guide the upper classes from the sad circumstances of the stupidity of human nature.
2. It must bring the working class (which this human nature heavily resides in) a wanted authority. Or
in other words to tame those idiots.
The function of education is to restore the authority and admiration of the working class to the upper classes.
And thus culture would remove popular culture. In order to do that the State must act in two ways:
1. Persuasion through force to put an end to the ‘Hyde Park riots’.
2. Establishment of the ‘sweetness and light’ of culture.
The function of education should be:
1. For the aristocracy is to banish it as a class, and thus merge it into the middle class.
2. For the working class it is to civilize it for dominance and persuasion
3. For the middle class it is to prepare them for the power that is to be theirs.
Arnold’s main concern is social order, social authority, won through the cultural subordination and
deference.
Coleridge, a relevant writer, distinguishes between ‘civilisation’ and ‘cultivation’ (the skill to develope). He
suggests that first refers to the whole nation, while the latter is the property of a small minority (the ‘clerisy’)
to guide the progress of the former. The purpose is the ‘mobilisation’ of culture to police the unruly forces of
mass society. All that is required is to acknowledge the cultural difference and thus the cultural deference.
Leavisism
F. R. Leavis applies Arnold’s cultural politics to the 1930s. According to the Leavisites the 20 th century is
marked by a rapid decrease in culture. Leavisism is based on the assumption that ‘culture has always been
in minority keeping’, the only thing that changes is the status of that minority. The ideas of Leavisim are
constantly under the threat of the democracy in political and cultural matters. They regard all forms of
popular culture as addictive form of compensation and distraction. This is unfavourable to the aspirations of
the minority. Cinema is a danger, popular fiction is distracting, Hollywood is masturbatory, the popular press
is a de-educator, the radio is ending critical thinking, and advertising is a symptom of a cultural disease.
The Leavisist investigation of popular culture is all about; building an exclusive and collective ‘we’, to
construct an educated elite, and to judge the mentality, appeal and quality of the general public. It is a self
confirming snobbery. It is only nostalgic to the ‘golden age’ of a positive culture destroyed by the Industrial
Revolution. But they fail to give account of the ignorance, disease, and frustrated intelligence among that
‘golden group’. Its aim is to aid students to wage war against the general barbarism of mass culture and
mass civilization.
Yet, it is very easy to be critical of the Leavisites, but it is important to note that it was the basis on which the
study of popular culture became possible.
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