How We Know What We Know

Culture & the Critical Perspective

Dr. Moses Shumow(Adapted from Dr. Fred Blevens)

Definition of Culture

The symbols of expression that individuals, groups, and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values.

Culture = Meaning

So, what is culture?

Is this culture?

Culture as Process

Culture delivers the values of a society through products or other meaning-making forms . . .

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There is no single location for cultureIt cannot be defined the same for everyone

Media Creates Culture

This is done by a process called “negotiation,” which is the interaction of the symbols and ideas in the media you consume with the symbols and ideas already in your head. Through that process of sampling, thinking, processing, things come to be meaningful to each of us.

Cultural/Historical Change

• Individuals alter culture

Cultural/Historical Change

• Social movements alter culture

Cultural/Historical Change

• Technology alters culture

Communication is not . . .

• Truth -- language and perception• Reality -- interpreted, constructed, mediated• Objective -- experience and identity• Comprehensive -- guess who gets left out?

Origins of the Critical Perspective: The Frankfurt School

• Jewish scholars in pre-war Germany, interested in new forms of mass communication and propaganda

• Challenged Hitler’s assumption that fascism could lift up the Germans

• Many died for their beliefs• Survivors came to U.S. to establish the basis

for the critical perspective.

Critical Perspective Hallmarks• Questioning assumptions

• Christians are better than Jews• Tax cuts spur the economy for all• The government is ALWAYS bad

• Expanding the bounds of debate• Jews aren’t part of the discussion• The poor don’t get a voice• Tolerance is difficult and many times painful

• Betterment of society• All peoples treated with dignity/respect• All taxpayers are treated equally• “We don’t do these things because they are easy; we do

them because they are hard.” John F. Kennedy

What Are the Implications?• It’s easier not to question things• It’s easier to accept assumptions• It’s easier to assume the best in people• It’s easier to be egocentric• It’s easier to blame vulnerable

populations• It’s easier to not think deeply about the

issues

Our Uncritical Past• Assumptions:

• White men write most history• White men tend to be the heroes of most history• People of color tend to be the villains of history• Women are left out of most history• The North ignores the South; East ignores the West; the

West ignores the East• Most history is Eurocentric storytelling

• Critical Perspective:• We have missed (and continue to miss) a lot• Point A may connect to Point B, but A did not cause B• History simply cannot be that simple

Practice this, please• Active, not passive, reading• Turn on your critical sensibility• This course is an alternative explanation• What problems do we introduce here?• What or Who is missing from our work?• Who are Professors Shumow, Pearson,

Garcia and Soto, anyway?

Attendance credit

• Please click “A”