Postmodern Cultural Studies Essay

Cultural Studies and the Academy 1. Cultural studies in the academies of the advanced capitalist countries has transformed the object of studies in the humanities. In particular, in English departments, cultural studies has challenged the predominance of the governing categories of literary studies (the â€Å"canon,† the homogeneous â€Å"period,† the formal properties of genre, the literary object as autonomous and self-contained) in the interest of producing â€Å"readings† of all texts of culture and inquiring into the reproduction of subjectivities. To this end, pressure has been placed on disciplinary boundaries, the methods which police these boundaries, and modes of interpretation and critique have been developed which bring, for example, â€Å"economics† and â€Å"politics† to bear on the formal properties of texts. In addition, the lines between â€Å"high culture† and â€Å"mass culture† have been relativized, making it possible to address texts in terms of their social effectivity rather than their â€Å"inherent† literary, philosophical or other values. 2. The two most significant categories which have supported these institutional changes have been â€Å"ideology† and â€Å"theory. † Althusserian and post-althusserian understandings of ideology, which defined ideology not in terms of a system of ideas or â€Å"world view† but in terms of the production of subjects who recognize the existing social world as the only possible and â€Å"reasonable† one, made possible the reading of texts in terms of the ways in which the workings of ideology determined their structure and uses. Marxist and post-structuralist theories, meanwhile, focused critical attention on the conditions of possibility of discourses, and upon the exclusions and inclusions which enable their articulation. In both cases, critique becomes possible insofar as reading is directed at uncovering the â€Å"invisible† possibilities of understanding which are suppressed as a condition of the text’s intelligibility. 3. I support these efforts to transform the humanities into a site of ultural critique. I will argue that what is at stake in these changes is the uses of pedagogical institutions and practices in late capitalist society. If pedagogy is understood, as I would argue it should be, as the intervention into the reproduction of subjectivities, then the outcome of struggles over â€Å"culture† and â€Å"cultural studies† will determine whether or not the Humanities will become a site at which the production of oppositional subjectivities is made possible. Historically, the Humanities has been a site at which the contradictions of the subjectivities required by late capitalist culture have been addressed and â€Å"managed. † For example, the central concepts of post-World War Two literary criticism, such as â€Å"irony,† have the function of reducing contradictions to the â€Å"complexity† and â€Å"irrationality† of â€Å"reality,† thereby reconciling subjects to those contradictions. 4. However, these recent changes in the academy have been very partial and contradictory. They have been partial in the sense that much of the older or â€Å"traditional† modes of literary studies have remained untouched by these developments, or have only made some slight â€Å"accommodations† to them. They have also been contradictory in the sense that cultural studies has accommodated itself to existing practices, by producing new modes of fetishizing texts and preserving conservative modes of subjectivity. In this way, cultural studies continues to advance the ideological function of the modern Humanities in a changed social environment. . The right wing attacks these changes, charging–as in the ongoing â€Å"PC† scare–that the Humanities are abandoning their commitment to objectivity and the universal values of Western culture. My argument is that these commitments and values have been undermined by social developments which have socialized subjects in new ways while concentrating global socio-economic power within an ever-shrinking number of transnational corporations. The intellectual and political tendencies coordinated by cultural studies, then, are responding to these transformations by allowing academic business to go on as usual, and providing updated and therefore more useful modes of legitimation for capitalist society. 6. The contradictions of these changes in the mode of knowledge production need to be understood within the framework of the needs of the late capitalist social order. The emergence of â€Å"theory† and (post)Althusserian understandings of ideology reflected and contributed strongly to the undermining of liberal humanism (in both its â€Å"classical† and social-democratic versions) as the legitimating ideology of capitalism. The discrediting of liberal humanism, first under the pressures of anti-colonialist revolts and then as a result of the anti-hegemonic struggles in the advanced capitalist â€Å"heartlands,† revealed a deep crisis in authority and hegemony in late capitalist society. This discrediting also revealed the need for new ideologies of legitimation, free from what could now be seen as the â€Å"naivete† of liberal humanist universalism, now widely viewed as a cover for racist, sexist and anti-democratic institutions. 7. The institutional tendencies which have produced the constellation of practices which can be termed â€Å"cultural studies† have, then, participated both in the attack on liberal understandings and in the development of new discourses of legitimation. The liberal humanism predominant in the academy has increasingly been seen as illegitimate because it depends upon an outmoded notion of private individuality-that is, the modern notion of the immediacy with which the privileged text is apprehended by the knowing subject. In this understanding, literature is understood in opposition to science and technology, as a site where what is essential to our â€Å"human nature† can be preserved or recovered in the face of a social reality where this â€Å"human essence† (â€Å"freedom†) is perpetually at risk. However, the more â€Å"scientific† methods (like semiology) which have undermined the hegemony of â€Å"new criticism† in the American academy, largely through the use of modes of analysis borrowed from structuralist anthropology and linguistics, have themselves been discredited by postmodern theories as largely conservative discourses interested in resecuring disciplinary boundaries (for example, through the classification of genres) and protecting an empiricist notion of textuality. 8. Cultural studies, then, is the result of the combination of the introduction of â€Å"theory† and the â€Å"politicization† of theory enabled by these social and institutional changes. However, the postmodern assault on â€Å"master narratives† (â€Å"theory†) has responded to the discrediting of both structuralism and Marxism in a conservative political environment by redefining â€Å"politics† to mean the resistance of the individual subject to modes of domination located in the discursive and disciplinary forms which constitute the subject. This has opened up the possibility of a new line of development for cultural studies: one in which the local supplants the global as the framework of analysis and description or â€Å"redescription† replaces explanation as the purpose of theoretical investigations. I will argue that the set of discourses which have â€Å"congealed† into what I

Communication, Ethics, and Society Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Challenges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Make up a topic for me - Essay Example Before the Han dynasty, there were very few sculptures and painting in China. Sculptures were introduced after the arrival of Buddhism in China. Decorations were mainly in two dimensions. At first, the curving of sculptures was restricted to animal figures. Sculptures of human were made after the 1 century and were at first limited to sculptures of Buddha and ceremonies related to Buddhism (Bushell, 154). This paper looks at how Buddhism influenced the development of art in China by using a few examples. There are several paintings that have been drawn by Chinese artists of Buddha and various monks. Moreover, there is painting that tells stories adopted from the Buddhist religion. An example is the drawing of Buddha on the wall of the temple meant for Jiankang by the famous Chinese artist of the Jin dynasty Gu Kaizhi (Williams & Barrow, 54). Buddhism led to the development of the painting of the human figure. The led to the development of a new genre called â€Å"Renwu†: the h uman figure genre which is one of the 4 disciplines in Chinese art. This led to the development of great painters of portrait who gained their fame status by painting Buddhist figure, Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Some of these great artists include Wie Xie of the 4th century, Gu Kaizhi (346-405 AD) and Sengyao (6th century AD) among other contemporary artists (Williams & Terence, 320). Painting of portraits wee guided by the 6 principles developed by Xie He  which he codified by following the Indian rules of painting. â€Å"Lohan seated in a tree† is an example of a painting from the Ming dynasty is an example of a painting that has been greatly influenced by Buddhism. It was painted by Ding Ynpeng and is one of the earliest Chinese paintings showing a Buddhist monk in a tree. This painting is different from other Chinese paintings of the 13th century as it is displayed in bright color showing vitality and liveliness. This is because Lohan means enlightened being and the painte r clearly shows this theme. An important thing to observe about these painting is that although the dead were originally from India, the Chinese artists have made their own modifications and innovations that make the images to be more authentic (Kieschnick, 140). From the 1st century to the 18th century, Chinese artists have continued to depart from the original Indian principles of painting to a new style that is unique to china. Studying of the Chinese sculpture of Liao dynasty (907-1125) is important because they are the type that is mostly found in international museums around the world such as America, British and Asian museums. The art from this era were predominantly Buddhist. In the western Capital of Liao, there are three monuments made of sculptures of the rules of this generation. Observing the sculpture closely one can observe that the artists borrowed a lot from the sculptures of Bodhisattvas who are people who endeavor to become Buddha (Williams & Terence, 378). For in stance, there is a halo surrounding the head of the sculptures. Moreover, the sculptures have other features that were common in the representation of the Buddhist deities and include jewelry, costumes and crowns. The 292 Dunhuang caves are the perfect representation of Buddhist influence on Chinese art. The first Dunhuang cave was developed by a Buddhist monk in the third century and it was called â€Å"

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The Issue of Leadership in Christianity - Essay Example Leadership and vision in Christianity is consistent with this view and comprised of many secular beliefs relative to leadership components including understanding effective communications and the ability to persuasively to motivate. In essence, it’s the capability to lead organizations and individuals, to accomplish specific goals and objectives. As spiritual restorationism became a reality, the concept is clear that early Church leaders formed the basis of diverse protestant denominations different from what many may believe today were the original teachings of Jesus Christ. To get a sense of the differentiation of dissenting groups, several models have been reviewed during the course of this study including the belief that the Pope was Christ’s vicar, the Episcopal view (bishops as leaders), the Presbyterians who lead through â€Å"elders† of the congregation, the Congregationalist who make up rules unique to individual congregations, and The Evangelicals who are open about salvation even without church structure. As a result of these differing views, ultimately the various groups separated themselves from other each other, although in some cases this was over relatively small theological issues. Often differentiation was memorialized in confessionals composed as a roadmap for followers, which outlined the belief system and the code believers should follow. Confessionals were often fairly similar because they were based on the same historical tenants and basic religious beliefs. There is a tremendous amount of historical information associated with these unique groups, and it’s interesting to look at the similarities and differences. As a component of this review two major factions, the Episcopal and the Presbyterian factions, were selected from the list selected to compare and contrast relative to leadership style and structure. The Episcopal religion is based on a leadership system

The New BreatherSaver The Energy Mint Research Paper

The New BreatherSaver The Energy Mint - Research Paper Example Eventually, it became clearer that there are several ways to indulge the food industry in the manner production and marketing mint was adapting to. This has led to a new area of study in marketing strategy that the food industry so proudly presents to the world of corporate production and strategy formulation (Baldauf and Stair, 2010). In this discourse, the Hershey Company is applied as case study to explain the mint industry experiences in terms of product design overview, SWOT, marketing strategies, effectiveness and future performance predictions. Snack foods and chocolate business has had an all time high performance since the emergency of Hershey Chocolate Company that has since found a special market niche eventually renaming to the Hershey Company (Weaver and Weston, 2007). Continued evolution of the snacks market has not only witnessed competition among a number of market players but has also experienced diversification of products range. In the growing list of products is the market mint brand known as BreathSaver. Initially, it was exclusively produced and marketed by the Hershey Company but other food companies have joined in the production. Generally, the BreathSaver is a product that not only serves as an ordinary mint product for the market but is also enhanced to capture the market that needs breath fresheners. Neutrazin is a special additive to the mint product that makes the BreathSaver an exciting market hit. In terms of its design, the BreathSaver is an improved mint disc shaped into a cylindrical product made of mint to capture these two markets. Alternatively, there are a few other features that distinguish it from other mint products, mainly through the product design. One of such features is the embossment of the name BreathSaver on the product. In addition, there are various flavors and packaging designs which include a certain number of the mint rolls in a single packaging. Regarding the new product, BreathSaver

The Life and Presidency which were ended Essay Example for Free

The Life and Presidency which were ended Essay He was the first American President to be born in the twenty-first century. He became the first American President of Roman Catholic religion. At the age of 43, he was the youngest man ever to assume the seat of the chief executive of the United States of America. He was also the youngest ever president to die while his term as president has not yet ended. On the afternoon of the 22nd day of November 1963, an assassin bullet killed the then President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Rabe 63). It marked the end of his young life as well as his term in office which he was only able to serve for two years and ten months. The rest of the world mourned his sudden death. Members of royalty, premiers, and presidents attended his funeral. The then Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency following his assassination (Barnes 8). It was his New Frontier program that earned him the edge to ultimately succeed in the presidential race (Schlesinger). Kennedy represented the Democratic Party. The then Vice President Richard M. Nixon of the Republican Party was his opponent (Scott 290). Kennedy earned international respect as the leader of the Free World (Barnes 60). By the year 1962, Kennedy significantly augmented the country’s prestige the moment he prevented a nuclear war from happening. This move forced the Soviets to pull out missiles from Communist Cuba (Rabe 4). It also signed the start of the period of â€Å"thaw† during the Cold War while relationships between the country and the Soviet Union grew friendlier. During the year 1963, a treaty prohibiting underwater and or above the ground nuclear weapons testing was signed by the both countries counting as well over a hundred other nations. On the domestic scene however, the country enjoyed the highest peak of its wealth during this point in time. The demands of the people of color for civil rights produced major domestic crises. However, the people of color were able to achieve more significant developments in their pursuit for equal rights than ever before since the Civil War. The first manned space expedition by Americans happened during President Kennedy’s term of office. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration also geared up to send astronauts to the moon during this time (Schlesinger 920). Kennedy’s Political Career Several Democratic leaders believed that Kennedy possessed quite a lot of weaknesses as a presidential aspirant. According to them, one of Kennedy’s major disadvantages as a presidential candidate was his faith. Among the other potential weaknesses include the presidential aspirant’s relative inadequate experience in dealing with international affairs, the Kennedy family’s wealth, as well as John F. Kennedy’s youth. Some members of the Democratic Party opposed Kennedy for the reason that they deemed that the presidential aspirant is too conservative. The presidential campaign of 1960 was quite a hard-fought battle. Kennedy and his opponent, Nixon were both spirited and young campaigners. Initially, most experts assumed that Kennedy’s opponent would be held victor of the election (Barnes 69). Nixon earned the advantage of serving as Eisenhower’s Vice President (Barnes 33). It is important to take into consideration that Eisenhower was an extraordinarily popular President. Nonetheless, John F. Kennedy was not as anonymous as some people consider him to be. His beautiful wife, Jackie, his affluence, and his good looks caused him to become a popular subject of magazine and broadsheet articles. His exposures in television have also been of great help to his political career. His four debates opposite Vice President Nixon were aired on television during that time (Barnes 75). The debates they had signaled the start of presidential aspirants arguing about campaign issues confronting each other (Author #). The debates Kennedy and Nixon had helped the former in gaining nationwide recognition. Kennedy’s self-confidence aided in his response to criticisms that he lacked the maturity required for assuming the chief executive position in the country. Kennedy as President He was inaugurated to the highest seat in government on the 20th day of January 1961 (Schlesinger 120). When Kennedy assumed the responsibility of the federal government, he was confronted by internal problems which include a slow-moving economy, unemployment, and augmented racial tensions. Moreover, in terms of international relations, Kennedy dealt with the ongoing spread of Communist influence as well as the threat of nuclear warfare (Barnes 105). His program called the New Frontier went on a slow start. However, the 87th Congress eventually started passing actions supported by the Kennedy government (Schlesinger 1081). The Congress endorsed the aid to economically depressed areas in April of 1961. In the following month, they allowed an increase in the minimum wage per hour from a dollar to a dollar and twenty five cents. They approved Kennedy’s Trade Expansion Act in September of 1962. It gave Kennedy extensive authority to reduce tariffs in order for the country to engage in a free trade with the European Common Market (Schlesinger 844). The United States Peace Corps was one of the most successful programs of his administration (Rabe 5). The corps deployed thousands of Americans overseas to aid the citizens in developing countries to improve their standards of living. The President restructured the country’s defense strategies by increasing standard military hardware. Kennedy sought to be equipped for non-nuclear warfare as well as to exert all possible efforts to prevent the use of nuclear weapons of destruction (Schlesinger 825). One of the chief domestic concerns during his term as president was the demands of the people of color for equal rights. With the intention to meet the rising demands of the people of color, the President called on the Congress to ratify a legislation which would require restaurants, motels, and hotels to admit customers regardless of race (Spencer 29). Furthermore, Kennedy likewise called on the Congress to give the authority to the attorney general to start court suits to desegregate academic institutions on behalf of private citizens who were not able to begin taking legal actions on their own (Spencer 30). His Assassination and his Legacy On the fateful day of November 22, 1963, while their motorcade traveled along the streets of Dallas, the President was assassinated through a series of fatal gun shots which took his life (Spencer 5). The President arrived at Dallas along with the First Lady, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Mrs. Johnson. The primary goal of their visit was to settle the tension in the Texas Democratic Party prior to the 1964 Presidential campaign wherein the President considered running for a second term. The group passed through the streets of Dallas in Texas in a motorcade as they head to the Dallas Trade Mart. The motorcade approached an expressway at the final leg of the trip at around 12. 30 in the afternoon (Barnes 136). All of a sudden, three gun shots were heard as President Kennedy fell down after the bullets stroke his neck and head. The doctors who attended on the wounded President did their best in a desperate attempt to save his life. However, the doctors said that the President had no chance of survival the moment he was brought to the hospital. The untimely demise of the spirited and youthful President stunned the rest of the world. The legacy of his short-lived term as chief executive of the county is one of hope instead of an enduring achievement. He assumed the highest position in the country at a time that is regarded to be one of the most dangerous periods in American history. Nonetheless, although he may have had a frequently turbulent term in office, it still remained vibrant. Ultimately, however, his legacy was one that is emotional. Kennedy’s legacy is a nostalgic commemoration of his short term presidency at a time when a new generation was in control and the country had an utterly glamorous and a well-renowned head of state. Perhaps, it is America’s version of Camelot. Although it was not for real, it is enough to cling onto until the divisiveness and unattractiveness set in (Rabe 6). The debate over the legacy of Kennedy as a chief executive and as a person remains unabated. To most of his fellow men and women, particularly those who came of age during his term of office, a sense of lost idealism and nostalgia continues to linger upon him. In recent times, however, revisionist historians have stressed his defects – the manner in which he and his brother, Robert bended the law while serving government positions by means of wiretapping and intimidating their political opponents, his numerous affairs and willingness to conceal the truth behind his health condition from his fellow men and women, the level to which his political career was sustained by his father’s wealth and influence, and his international relations policy errors in the Bay of Pigs and Vietnam (Schlesinger 293). A fair evaluation of his presidency is supposed to acknowledge his shortcomings at the same time credit his unquestionable achievements. Kennedy may have made a huge mistake in the Bay of Pigs. Nonetheless, he was able to prevent a nuclear warfare happening between the Soviets and Communist Cuba and parlayed his detente into notable agreements like the nuclear test-ban treaty. Kennedy may have failed to meet expectations in terms of affording the same civil liberties enjoyed by whites. Still, his instrumental support for the people of color was significant in their struggle in opposition to segregation. On one hand, there are those who claim that if the assassination of Kennedy had not taken place, he may have done the same mistakes in Vietnam which eventually pulled his successor down (Rabe 148). On the other hand, there are those who claim that Kennedy had an ability to rise to occasion in crucial moments, initially as a war hero and ultimately as the chief executive of the United States (Barnes 13). Perhaps most notably, by means of his rhetoric to unify the nation as well as by mean of his programs such as the Peace Corps, Kennedy inspired a generation of Americans in a manner that very few chief executives who have ever served the country were able to do during their term of office (Rabe 5). Having done so, Kennedy very well deserves the respect and admiration afforded to him. Controversy as well as mystery lingers around his death. There are those who regard his assassination as a horrible incident which signaled the end of the public innocence and marked the start of the social and political turmoil usually associated to the 1960s (Spencer 5). Even though Kennedy’s life and presidency ended all of a sudden, he was still able to leave behind a valuable political and personal legacy to his people and to the rest of the world. During his period, not everyone was enthusiastic about his actions as a President. Kennedy was looking forward that his trip to Dallas would strengthen relations between his government and the powerful, mostly Republican traditionalists who reside there. Even though he was very much aware of the opposition many of the locals there have towards him, Kennedy still had faith in the power of connecting with and reaching out with the residents and the political figures of that particular city in Texas (Spencer 6). No one could have thought the President’s trip to the city would end in a tragic way. His death permanently changed the way in which succeeding presidents mingle with, and is protected from the public. He was shot to death while he was sitting in a convertible car with the top down. From then on, no other chief executive of the nation sat in a vehicle which is not protected with a bulletproof shield (Spencer 6). The moment he was shot to death, presidential assassination is not considered to be a federal crime (Spencer 6). Thus, the police force of the city headed the investigation of the crime. Eventually, it was made clear that crimes of such magnitude could require the involvement of federal agents like those working for the Central Intelligence Agency as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Spencer 7). Kennedy’s death likewise signaled significant technological as well as cultural changes in the country. News aired on television came of age reporting about his assassination as well as the events which followed thereafter. The arrest as well as the eventual murder of his suspected assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald was also aired on television (Spencer 7). The eternal legacy of his death may be something that is not certain. Nonetheless, he embodied a youthful optimism and dynamism which inspired not only his fellow men and women but people from all around the world too. He has the power, the wealth, and the youth. He kept his commitment to equality and freedom while serving his country and his people. As the chief executive, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was able to establish a public image greatly appealing to much of America. He inspired in many of his fellow men and women strong idealism and optimism, and he appeared prepared to carry the country out of one of the most challenging period in its history. Kennedy’s term as president and his young life may have been suddenly concluded by bullet shots from a gun, reducing not only his native country but the rest of the world as well in a period of great grief. His death was definitely tragic. Even so, it generated the impact of amplifying as well as reinforcing his legacy. Although Kennedy’s moments of presidential brilliance were interrupted by occasions of uncertainty, he is nonetheless cherished and respected by most people. How much greater he could have achieved, how farther he could have reached had his life not ended in an untimely death are among the most provoking inquiries that can never be given definite answers. Works Cited Barnes, John A. John F. Kennedy on Leadership: The Lessons and Legacy of a President. New York: AMACOM Division of American Management Association, 2005. Rabe, Stephen G. The Most Dangerous Area in the World: John F. Kennedy Confronts Communist Revolution in Latin America. North Carolina: UNC Press, 1999. Schlesinger, Arthur Meier. A Thousand Days. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002. Scott, Peter Dale. Deep Politics and the Death of JFK. California: University of California Press, 1996. Spencer, Lauren. The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002.