Cultural Studies

Cultural Studies

Hello readers,

  Warmly welcome to my blog. I have written this blog on cultural Studies as l have attended workshop on Cultural Studies. How the Cultural Studies define the different shades of relationships and political dynamic of mass media and everyday cultural practices, basically it acquaintance transformed  interdisciplinary study.

    It was really insightful workshop on cultural Studies by Dr. Kalyani Vallath ma'am had provided effective ideas and knowledge of cultural Studies, she is from Trivandrum, Karala and has a highly effective method of teaching and passionate teacher, also edu-entrepreneur, and completed her ph.d from Canada University on Children Cinema, after has shared her experiences of different places.

The workshop divided into two sessions in first, Dr.Dilipbarad sir has given the introduction of Dr.Kalyani Vallath ma'am is working from many years into the field of literature. Then ma'am has provided examples of cultural Studies as she has some experienced and phenomenon which had taken place in her life through that examples has defined the function of cultural Studies,  Because Cultural steadies included in NTA NET syllabus. 

So it helps a lot us to understand the fundamental ideas of culture. Basically the in the style of layman can understand easily about it.

 So here I given answers of that questions. The questions as given below.

• What is your understanding about the concept of cultural studies?
• How would you explain layman about cultural studies?
• If you are asked in interview to teach cultural studies - How would you introduce it?
• How many examples from the session were catchy that you never forget it Write about it.
• Anything else..

1.Concept of cultural Studies:- 

culture is a changeable process it derives from the meaning full ideas that govern by the 'Elite Culture'. So, implication of thoughts and ideas that Set in framed, basically that standards set the cultural norms. Cultural  studies consist dynamic cultural as we know that all have different cultural and their rituals  yet they lived in one country.

Therefore it comes in a form of individual experiences, social realities and power relation. This all the things draws throughout the history, philosophy, Social Theory and linguistics. Although it is about money and relationships which relates to economy.

Diversity only because of certain reasons because so many communities culture and coexistence of their lives. Example, the Canada and American has a different stages of life and in Canada it maintains its plurality, where in American it melting pot culture because where all the cultures  loose their identities and then they become Americans. 

Cultural Studies against of  monolithic rules, against of unities, heterogeneity and it relates to plurality, diversity and differences. It is about politics means power how works on human. Sexual politics (1970) by Kate Millett he said it about transformed experience, every experience also won't same. Life of pi(2007) by Yann Martel in brahmin boy never think to eat anything rather than pure vegetarian food but he had to feed tiger.

  

 Beginning of Cultural studies :-

Cultural Studies emerged from  the orthodox Marxism and developed in Britain as a reaction against liberal humanism. In Gulliver's Travels horses andore with reasons they are so homogeneous and all the horses has same  rules & disciplined. Other hand Yahoos diversed and chaotic. 

where George Orwell said about  Yahoos in his essay that how horses are so boring lifestyle, this thing he says from cultural perspective because cultural steadies related to large society.Therefore it engaged with new left in 1960s for their rights. 

The study of 'Culture and Civilization' in literary culture it given by Matthew Arnold in his work "Culture and Anarchy" (1869) accustomed by best and Elite Culture. Some how ruted older ideas Matthew Arnold put it down. As Culture is study of perfection but cultural Studies does not believe in perfection because it believes in diversity.

Some of the points I have mentioned here that all are discussed in the workshop, through that we marked the perfect outline of all the theories, prominent Figures.

■ Cultural Theories with a brief note on prominent Thinkers.

■The diversity of India

■ Marxist Revisionism
■ Critical Theories 

■Hegelian Dialectical Method

■Dialectic of Enlightenment

■New Left in Britain & US 
■ Centre for contemporary cultural Studies (cccs)
■ The pioneers 
■ Cultural Materialism 

■Repressive Desublimation

■ Working class & Mass Culture

■ Cultural Materialism

■foucault and Archeology and Genealogy

■ Episteme and Dispositif

■ Cultural Intermidiaries

■ Popular Cultural studies

■ Subcultural Studies

■Trauma Studies
■ visual Culture Studies & other Discipline. 

■Appadurai and his five scapes

■Queer Studies

■Celebrity Cultural Studies

This all the topics are discussed and it was great interaction with her and also  fruitful session for us. So, lots of Thanks to ma'am for to given us precious knowledge and ideas about cultural Studies and also Thanks to Dr. Dilipbarad sir to organized that energetic workshop.

Thank you......

Shashi Tharoor : An era of Darkness

Shashi Tharoor is a writer, politician and currently he serving as a Member of parliament, Lok sabha from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerla. Therefore he serves as chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on Information Technology. Tharoor has began his political career by joining the Indian national Congress. 

After he began  his literary career and he columnist in three well known English language news paper.

1. The Hindu 
2. Times of India 
3. Gentlemen Magazine 

An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India is a book on the Indian  experience of colonialism. Their is a historical amnesia. British came and concoured one of the richest  countries in the world and reduced. Although it one of the protest country. So the various benefits of British rule, the railway, the cricket all the things were actually introduced to serve British not for the benefits  of Indian. 

AN ERA OF DARKNESS:THE BRITISH EMPIRE IN INDIA :-

Thinking Activity on John Keats: Finding out approaches to Death in literature.

Hello Readers,

Welcome to my blog. Basically the blog about the different types of ideas of Death it has taken by authors in their literary works. Some has different kind of perspective to see the Death and so some how differentiate the idea of the Death, although special kind of fascination towards death. John keats who also used the Death as a subject and main concept of his poem.

So here, I given the some examples of other writers or fascination and they used subject of death in their literary works.

In poetry, Drama, fiction death is seen as a symbol and theme that provides wilder ideas and way to  other  themes ranging from justice to rites of passage to grief. Extensively, we have the question that why Death is used as a theme in literature.

In ancient literature, the theme of death is seen regularly. In Gilgamesh, the ancient epic of Mesopotamia, death is clearly illustrated through relationships, responding to the deaths of loved ones, and war. Once Gilgamesh comes to love Enkidu, he dies, and the reader is left with Gilgamesh’s thoughts and response to his friend’s death. In ancient Greek mythology, the Trojan War provided a framework for a myriad of stories, including Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey; both stories recount numerous lengthy battles and gruesome scenes of death. Later, Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides, the three great Greek tragedians, created death-driven plays, such as Sophocles’ Oedipus The King and Antigone, which includes patricide, suicide, and fratricide. 

Expert Lectures by vinod Joshi

Hello readers, 

Welcome  to my blog,  Here l wrote this blog on Expert lectures by vinod Joshi, on Indian  poetic during the Tue Dec 3 – Sun Dec 8, 2019.  Which was really a great day for us to learn lots of things from him. Every day can began with practice.so let's see that insightful days.

✴ first Day ( 3rd December 2019)

On the first day Vinod Joshi sir has explained about Indian poetry. How the basics of Criticism works in our life and how the power of imagination works in literary texts and our life.

Some of the external tools that help to understand the poem. And also explained how to do the literary criticism of poetics. As given the importance to the poet and addressed this line as

“कवि: करोति काव्यानि रसं जानाति पंडित:”

Some of the great Sanskrit scholars which had been given the different functions of Criticism as below 

• Bharatamuni - Natyashastra
• Anandvardhan - Dhvani Sampraday
• Kuntak - Vakrokti
• Waman - Riti Sampraday 
• Bhamah - Alankar
• Kshemendra - Auchitya Sampraday

How the Indian poetics and Criticism is unique from the other literature. In short, I discussed Rasa Theory. 

 ✴ Second day (4th December 2019)

विभावानुभाव्यभीचारी संयोगात् रसनिष्पत्ति:।

Second day of Indian poetic lectures,  sir explain that How the Indian politics deals with the six basic parts of

🔮 Alankar

🔮 Rasa
🔮 Dhvani 

🔮 Vakrokti 

🔮 Auchitya 
🔮 Riti

 the prominent writer of Sanskrit language as a Bharat Muni and he talked about 9 Rasa of Natyashastra,  As given below

સ્થાયીભાવ	રસ
રતિ	શૃંગાર રસ
શોક	કરુણ રસ
ઉત્સાહ	વીર રસ
ક્રોધ	રૌદ્ર રસ
હાસ	હાસ્ય રસ
ભય	ભયાનક રસ
જુગુપ્સા	વિભત્સ રસ
વિસ્મય	અદ્ભુત રસ
શમ/નિર્વેદ	શાંત રસ

 श्रृंगार करुणा वीर। 

रूद्र  हास्य भयानक। 

बीभत्साद्भूतशांतश्रय ।

नव नाट्ये रसा: स्मृता: 

               - (भरत नाट्यशास्त्र)

✴ Third day ( 5th December 2019)

The most lively and interactive discussion on the application of Rasa theory had been there on the very third day. Vinod Sir started the lecture with a highly interesting subject called aesthetics. Particularly talking about Indian Aesthetics .

which is full of various Rasa is the theory which seems to be helpful for the outlet of suppressed emotions. Therefor from various movies and folk tales like Titanic, Nalopakhyanam by Premanand, and various other movies which arouse cathartic effects on the minds of the audience.

School of Dhvani as stated by Anandavardhana, Sir explained precisely the aspects that should be taken into consideration while analyzing a work of art and provided an excellent discussion on three echoes of words-

💠Abhidha (denotation)

💠Laksana (implication)

💠Vyanjana (suggestion)

Sir very precisely explained all the three shabdshakti and their components with detailed descriptions and interestingly live examples from surroundings. Sir has conducted that how sphota is suggested in the form of words in a work of art.

✴ Fourth Day ( 6th December 2019)

शब्दार्थों सहितो काव्यम।

Vinod Sir explained with varied verses from Gujarati Literature. Anandvardhan has described the importance of Dhvani in his most resourceful work ‘Dhvanyaloka’. Acharya Kuntaka describes ‘Dhvani’ as the major element of Literature. He described different types of Dhvani and he also believes that ‘Dhvani is the soul of Literature’ when he says –

ध्वनि: काव्यस्य आत्मा।

✴ fifth Day ( 7th December 2019)

Sir discussed the theory of Vakrokti and its significance in Literature. It has much more resemblance to stylistics. Vakrokti is the theory of Language and the formation of words. It is the formation of two words-

‘Vakra’ + ‘Ukti’ = “Vakrokti’

Deviant or curved + expression = ironical ton

Poet or writer usually plays with diction. Sir also briefly explained the types of Vakrata as classified by Kuntaka.

✴ Sixth day (8th December 2019)

On the last session's discussion on three Major Schools with the prominent thinkers. Vinod Joshi Sir, with his expertise in Indian Poetics and Linguistics explained to us the use and importance of Alamkara or figures of speech in a work of art.

Sanskrit Literature is prosperous with figurative expressions with the touch of Linguistics and its discussion Sir also referred to the concept given by T. S. Eliot in his essay Objective Correlative. The School of Riti seems to have some similarities with the modern linguistic theory called Stylistics.

Acharya Vamana had given utmost importance to Riti in his work “Ritivichar” While discussing this theory, Sir referred to Richard Bach’s fable novella Jonathan Livingston Seagul. Sir also explained in detail on four major Styles of Writing-

🔶️Vaidarbhi

🔶️Pancali

🔶️Gaudiya

🔶️Lati

Furthermore, the theory of Aucitya as proposed by Kshemendra, which focuses on the appropriateness of literary composition. This theory has its origin in “Aucityavichar” of Kshemendra.

Thank you...

Chimamanda ngozi Adichie

Hello readers, 

      Warmly welcome to my blog. Here I have put it my perspective and viewpoints about Chimamanda ngozi Adichie's videos on different kind of subjects at Ted Tolk.

Chimamanda ngozi Adichie, who is writer and range of novel, non-fiction, short stories she has written. Her father James Nwoye Adichie was the professor of statistic at University of Nigeria. Her mother Grace Ifeoman  was the university's first female registrar. The family lost almost everything during the Nigerian civil war. 

After completed her study of medicine and pharmacy, she want to United State to study communication and political. There she know about the colour discrimination.

 when she show not used to being identified by the colour of skin that changed. when she arrived in the US for study is as  a black African in America Adichie was suddenly confronted with what is meant to be a person of colour in the  state.  

Whereas she had started writing literary works and then  get the inspiration from the African writer chinua Achebe. After reading his  work Things fall Apart. 

■ "My Mother the Crazy African" her short story:- 1

Adichie write short story "My mother the crazy African" in  she discussed the problems that arise when facing to culture complete opposite from the each other and one side there is a traditional Nigerian culture with clear and gender roles, while in Africa there is more freedom in how gender act less restrictions on younger people. In a 2014 interview, Adichie said on feminism and writing:

 "I think of myself as a storyteller but I would not mind at all if someone were to think of me as a feminist writer... I'm very feminist in the way I look at the world, and that world view must somehow be part of my work."

■ The Danger of a single story:-

I appreciate from this video because  chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains how she uses in and around different smaller stories to share the core massage itself, Although, combining her personal experience as a Nigerian in America as well as her Nigerian experience with own limitations. When she talks about her personal experience.

 which she had feel in different phenomenon that connects audience to feel like, she is close to them and opens up herself for Criticism. How she found her authentic cultural voice and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Culture does not make people. People make culture.

 when we reject the single story, when we realized that there is nepver a single story about any place, place regain a kind of Paradise. 

■ We Should All be Feminist:- 

Yes, l like the views of chimamanda ngozi Adichie, what we expect and what we are getting from the society. There is a problems of gender yet people who try to lead them to what they expect from women. Woman always suffered a lot from the earlier centuries. Then like some words of chimamanda ngozi Adichie as given below 

 "Some people ask: 'Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?' Because that would be ... a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded. It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women."

 "My own definition is a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better."

"And then we do a much greater disservice to girls, because we raise them to cater to the fragile egos of males. We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls: You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man. If you are the breadwinner in your relationship with a man, pretend that you are not, especially in public, otherwise you will

■ Importance of Truth in Post Truth era:- 

I.A.Richards verbal analysis

  

I.A.Richards.

He was most influential English literary critic and rhetorician in new criticism along with the Russian Formalism. Therefore, sought to change the approach to the historical and biographical analysis itself intertextual comparison and beginning of the  modern literary critic. I . A. Richards one of the founder of the contemporary study of literature.

■ Importance of Figurative language:-

Why poet or writer write poem with the figurative language but maybe it happens that it creates some misunderstanding in any literary work then it is difficult to turn poetry into logical respectable process and the recognisation of the liberty which are proper for a poet and the power and value of figurative language if anyone who can make a mistake in the poem so some aspects which played a vital role to misunderstanding in the poem like

•  Careless, intuitive Reading 
• Over  - literal Reading 
• Defective scholarship
• Difference in meaning of words in poetry and prose.  

somewhere the real intention behind the poem he mermaid they cannot read  for the false interpretation of poem it may lead reader to misunderstanding if those who are interested their thoughts and read the work if they haven't any knowledge about background of author and Historical events then it meaning of poem or text it gives misunderstanding of the real concept of the work.

whereas is when we try to criticize or read the work of art so should refer and get the knowledge of author and historical phenomenon. so that all the aspects consisted the things in reading and poetry interpret in truthful way.

1 Sense:-

           Sense is very much important in the figurative language.  As the idea given By I.A. Richards as sense it meant something that is communicated by the plain literal meanings of the words. Therefore it matters a lot.

2 Feeling:-

            Someone who said that we have feeling about it like "emotion, attitude, willpower,  Desire, pleasure, unpleasant and the rest" this words express " these feelings, these feeling nuances of  interest. Feeling deals with the emotions and sentiments of the writers. so it is important.

3 Tone:-

        Tone is significant as far as Figurative language is concerned. Tone here means the writers attitude towards his audience. The writer chooses his words and arranges them keeping in mind the taste of his readers. Feeling is only state of mind.

4 Intention:-

           So far as intention is concerned in the figurative language. It has an object and writer May be conscious or  unconscious.  Thereforeit is the effect that one tries to produce. Also intention controls the emphasis, shapes the arrangement, or draws attention to something of importance. Hence it is very much important in the figurative language.

1 Sense:-

           Sense is very much important in the figurative language.  By sense it meant something that is communicated by the plain literal meanings of the words. Therefore it matters a lot.

2 Feeling

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy, full name Suzanna Arundhati Roy, born November 24, 1961, Shillong, Meghalaya, India, Indian author, actress, and political activist who was best known for the award-winning novel. The God of Small Things (1997) and for her involvement in environmental and human rights causes.

Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for her first novel, “The God of Small Things.” India had just turned fifty, and the country needed symbols to celebrate itself. Roy became one of them. Then, in July of 1998, she published an essay about another such symbol: a series of five nuclear-bomb tests conducted by the government in the sands of Rajasthan. The essay, which eviscerated India’s nuclear policy for placing the lives of millions in danger, wasn’t so much written as breathed out in a stream of fire. Roy’s fall from darling to dissident was swift, and her landing rough. In India, she never attained the heights of adulation again.