Lecture 1 Review: Daniella Dahoui

Review session Week 1 of Popular Culture and History Daniella Dahoui PC200 Popular Culture and History As an introduction to the module, we were given an idea of the key themes of the course. The teacher went over the different topics covered each week: film, pop music, etc, and how we will explore the main themes and how they connect to the nature of cultural studies. The basis of the module will be exploring the effects of popular culture on our everyday lives, our cultural identity (e.g. gender, ethnicity, race) our cultural and political struggles and power, and social interactions. We will also be examining cultural texts from pop music to film to explore the British culture over the years. The teacher explained that the 50s were the decade when 20th century had changed. These details will be explored further the following week: the Postmodern City, which will introduce globalization and consumerism, and will examine the impact of Disneyland (opened in 1955) as the representation of the postmodern city.

Lecture 2: Disney's Postmodern City

July 17th 1955: Disneyland opens for the first time in Anaheim, California. In the mid-1960s Disney starts buying swamp land in Florida. The Reedy Creek Act, 'clarifies the district's authority to perform work of drainage, flood and pest control; amplifies the district's authority to build and maintain sewer system, police and fire protection, airport and parking facilities and to regulate and administer land use and planning within the district limits' Disney Vice President, Don Tatum. Disneyland, Florida is 27,433 square acres, that is approximately the same size as Manhatten and twice as large as San Francisco. Disneyland had total control over the area: the right ot build a nuclear reactor, an airport and a municipal court along with wide ranging fiscal powers. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow: EPCOT. Disney techniques that are used outside theme parks in the 'real' world. Shopping malls adopt Disney's approach: 'Fun environments and an unique shopping expereince'. The postmodern city is a centre of 'consumption, play and entertainment saturated with signs and images'(Featherstone: 1991). We also referenced Umberto Eco's 'Travels in Hyppereality' (San Diego: 1983 in today's lecture. Postmodern citizens: 'play with and celebrate the artificiality, randomness and superficaility of the fantastic melange of fictions adn strange values which are to be found in the fashions and popular cultures of cities' (Featherstone: 1991). In the seminar, Jean Baudrillard's 'Simulations' was discussed in relation to today's topic. Baudrillard introduced the idea that Disneyland is 'presented as imaginary in order to make us all believe that the rest of America is real, when in fact all of Los Angles and the America that surrounds it are no longer real, but of the order of simulation'.

Lecture 1: Suez and 'Shiny Barbarism'

Some of you were asking questions about the Suez Crisis in the seminar. Your first stop is to read Dominic Sandbrook's section on the 'war'. If you go to You Tube and enter 'The Other Side of Suez' you will be able to watch a three-part documentary on the crisis. Here is the link:

http://youtu.be/nOSG-mTttzE

As I said in the lecture, Sandbrook's book juxtaposes the mini-narratives of popular culture and the grand narratives of history throughout his text.

Think of the proliferation of American popular culture and commodities, fast food outlets, TV dinners and cop and quiz shows in Britain after the Suez crisis. A coincidence?

Richard There's also been some confusion over the John Storey book. The core reader is 'Culture Studies and the Study of Popular Culture' (Edinburgh University Press. Please check this is the title you buy. It is in LRC, but it is always better to buy a copy.

Popular culture and History Lec 1: Laetitia Kaiser

Review (18-09-2012) In last week's lesson, Richard introduced 'Popular Culture and History', briefly outlining the different topics that will be covered in the course of the next few weeks. Three of this module's key words are “Americanisation”, “globalisation” and “commodification”. Also, the module will serve as a time capsule, enabling the class to travel back in time to the birth of British youth culture. For Great Britain, 1956 plays a quintessential role. In the autumn of '56, Britain faces the Suez Crisis. It marks the decline of its imperial world power. Fearing the rise of Egyptian nationals, Britain, with the support of France and Israel, decide to invade Egypt and prevent their attempt to nationalise the Suez canal, which is an important trade route for Britain. The British government hopes for the Americans' support. However, the United States of America oppose the Brits' actions and urge them to retreat. Being economically unstable at the time, Great Britain gives in after only two weeks. Many see this incident as an embarrassing event for the once 'Great' Britain. Britain's glorious days appear to be clearly over. The views differ, however. Some claim that Britain is on the edge of something new and exciting. Rock'n'Roll takes over. Brits start listening to American musicians like Elvis Presley. It's the birth of a consumer society consisting of TV dinners, quiz shows and washing machines. Although Britain and other countries lose their colonies from 1957 to 1964, it ends Britain's monoculture and gives way to a flourishing multiculturalism evolving and growing to this day. Finally, the debate of 'high culture' versus 'low culture' crops up for the first time. Intellectual critics see the impending consumerism as a threat to society and encourage the maintenance of 'high culture' such as literature, for example.