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00:00:00 – 00:17:48
The video discusses the theoretical approach of cultural materialism, introduced by Tom and closely associated with Raymond Williams. Cultural materialism analyzes cultural texts as products shaped by their economic and material contexts. This approach contrasts sharply with Marxist literary criticism, which views culture mainly as a reflection of economic structures, and liberal humanism, which regards cultural texts as detached from their material conditions.
Raymond Williams critiqued both of these earlier approaches for their limitations and developed cultural materialism to highlight the complex interactions of meanings within cultural texts, influenced by economic and social contexts. A significant aspect of this approach is the concept of "structures of feeling," which captures the dynamic interplay of dominant, residual, and emergent ideologies within a society.
The video examines "The Lego Movie" as a case study, illustrating how cultural materialism can be applied to contemporary texts. The film's production process and content are analyzed to reveal underlying economic and ideological influences, such as its role as an advertisement for LEGO products and its reflection of 2010s ideologies. The analysis demonstrates cultural materialism's utility in revealing how cultural texts engage with and reflect broader societal processes.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, Tom introduces cultural materialism as a theoretical approach in the humanities that analyzes cultural texts such as films, books, and visual art. He clarifies that cultural materialism treats these texts as products influenced by specific economic and material contexts, rather than as divine revelations disconnected from their surroundings. Using the example of writing a novel, he explains that the content of the novel would be shaped by the author’s personal and broader economic context, and further influenced by the processes of editing, publishing, and marketing. Tom cites Chris Barker’s definition, which highlights the exploration of signifying practices in relation to their construction conditions, though he notes Barker’s complex phrasing.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses cultural materialism in relation to two opposing approaches to cultural texts that were popular during its development. The first approach is Marxist literary criticism, which views society’s superstructure, including politics, law, religion, and culture, as directly informed by its economic base. This approach often suggests that cultural texts support the economic structures of their societies. Raymond Williams, a left-wing academic, found this view too simplistic because it overlooks human agency in cultural production and consumption. Williams argued that culture is a product of personal and social experiences and should not be seen merely as vessels for capitalist ideology.
The second approach is liberal humanism, which views cultural texts as being above the material and economic context of their time, thereby acknowledging human agency. However, Williams found liberal humanism idealistic and problematic for its detachment from the material conditions of cultural production.
00:06:00
In this segment of the video, the discussion revolves around the limitations of liberal humanism in literary criticism, particularly its tendency to ignore historical, political, and economic contexts in understanding literary texts. This method is contrasted with Raymond Williams’ approach, which blends useful aspects of both Marxist literary criticism and liberal humanism to create “cultural materialism.” Cultural materialism focuses on the production and complex interactions of meanings within cultural texts, influenced by their economic and social contexts. The video notes the impactful development of this approach, exemplified by the publication “Political Shakespeare: New Essays in Cultural Materialism,” where contributors argue that understanding Shakespeare’s works requires contextual knowledge of the era’s socio-economic conditions and their subsequent adaptations, rather than viewing them as timeless or universal.
00:09:00
In this segment, the video discusses the concept of “structures of feeling” as introduced by Raymond Williams, contrasting it with traditional Marxist notions of ideology. Instead of reducing cultural texts to mere vessels for ideologies, cultural materialist analysis seeks to identify interests in colonialism and their societal ramifications. “Structures of feeling” encompasses the dominant, residual, and emergent ideologies, reflecting the complex, ongoing processes within a society rather than abrupt ideological shifts. An example given is the current dominant ideology of disruptive entrepreneurship in post-industrial nations, with residual ideologies favoring a return to manufacturing, and emergent ideologies critiquing the reliance on insecure labor in the gig economy. This approach allows for a more nuanced understanding of society.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker analyzes the 2014 film “The Lego Movie” through the lens of cultural materialism. They explore the relationship between the cultural text (the film) and its production process, noting that the movie, produced partly by the LEGO Group, can be seen as an extended advertisement for LEGO products. The speaker highlights how Warner Brothers’ involvement influenced the choice of characters, favoring those from franchises they own or distribute, such as Gandalf, Dumbledore, and Batman. This analysis shows how the production influences the film’s content and meanings, reflecting LEGO Group’s strategy to reconnect with fans by validating creative cross-play between different LEGO licenses.
00:15:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the film’s exploration of the dominant, residual, and emergent ideologies of the 2010s. Emmet and the Master Builders represent disruptive capitalism focused on innovation and creativity, while Lord Business embodies the slow-moving, power-consolidating large corporations. The film concludes with a reconciliation rather than a revolution, highlighting the co-optation of the revolutionary Vanguard. Additionally, an emergent ideology is noted, suggesting that true creativity cannot be fulfilled under capitalism, even with reforms. The video concludes with an overview of cultural materialism, emphasizing its relevance to cultural studies and its usefulness in analyzing cultural texts.