The Frankfurt School

Mass Culture / Art High Culture Marxism

Central Issues
The first major & systematic sociological study of mass media Written between 1930s and 1950s - context-specific? - usable now? How good is Habermass reworking for today

!"#$%$&' H(#()$%$&' KANT !"#$%$&$"* I%+I,I+"!-. - Free to think for themselves - Not controlled by others H(#()$%$&$"* I%+I,I+"!- Their thinking is controlled by someone else (without them realising)

AUTONOM ! H"T"#ONOM A$$%&"'( - $A#T' OF 'O)&"T - )U%TU#A% $#O*U)T' +M"AN&N, - HOW TH" A#" MA*".

#/e 0rankfurt *c/ool 1 &embers

Institute for *ocial )esearc/ "ni2ersity of 0rankfurt3 from 1943 &nterdisci/lin0ry gro1/( &a5 Hork/eimer +sociology2 /hiloso/hy. #/eodor !dorno +sociology2 /hiloso/hy 0nd m1sicology. 6alter 7enjamin +/hiloso/hy 0nd liter0t1re. (ric/ 0romm +Fre1di0n /sychology. Herbert &arcuse +Fre1di0n /sychology.

Historical conte5t
8erman19ewis/ intellectuals :Hig/ly; educated u<<er middle class Bildungsburgertum : tastes biases; 0ascism = #otalitarianism

(migration to !merica3 early 19>0s. - mass culture - monopoly capitalism - propaganda *ociety of ?#otal !dministration@

#/eorising on basis of. - Aro<aganda mac/ines. Hitler, Mussolini, !" - Hollywood *tudio *ystem. /rod1ction ! distrib1tion - &ono<oly of big cor<orations - &ass consumerism - &ass ad2ertising

Intellectual Conte5t. ?Critical #/eory@

*ources. 3. &ar54 5. &a5 6eber4 6. *igmund 0reud 0ollowing &ar5. - Most social science sees only the surface of society - #specially Positivism - Must find the hidden workings of society

&a5 6eber. #/e ?Iron Cage@ 3. Instrumental rationality - thinking b0sed on c0lc1l0tion - most efficient w0ys of 0chieving 0ims 5. 7ureaucracy. - $nstrumental rational control o%er people

0rankfurt 2iew. ?#otal !dministration@ - instrumental rationality - bureaucratic control #/e main bureaucracies. 1; 8o2ernment 4; Ca<italist (conomy :&ono<oly Ca<italism; 3; -eisure industries & mass media :?Culture Industry@;

*igmund 0reud 'oci0l sh0/ing of individ10l /sychology - &blank slate' Fr0nkf1rt view +M0rc1se4 Adorno.( - /sychology sh0/ed by domin0nt ideologies - r1ling cl0ss ideologies - these m0ke /eo/le <assi2e & conformist

Herbert &arcuse B 19C0s. )0/it0list society overly re/resses n0t1r0l instincts &ndivid10ls in c0/it0list society 0re m0de ne1rotic e(g( cra%ing wealth ) fame The whole society is ne1rotic e(g( happiness * consumer goods

"nco1r0gement of worst /uman traits( - +reed ) ac,uisiti%eness - !eeing other people as ob-ects - Hatred of .foreigners/ and .outsiders7 *olution( 0ritical Theory as therapy for society 1 makes society realise its own sickness

Adorno ! Horkheimer +ialectic of (nlig/tenment +3899. &0ulture $ndustry' chapter Hegel - 0lien0tion( H1m0ns invent re0son +r0tion0lity. #e0son intended to free h1m0ns from c1stom ! tr0dition #e0son gets o1t of h1m0n control #e0son becomes controlling 0 /rison

Culture Industry l0test version of this

#/e Culture Industry

!ims of t/e Culture Industry +efend social status Duo.

- re<roduce ca<italist society 1 re<roduce itself

?Industrial@ <roduction of culture - #nd of &artisanal' production M0de by tec/nicians *tandardisation Aseudo1indi2idualisation 2ilms !tars )ontrol of <romotion and distribution

Culture is <urely a commodity :";ch0nge v0l1e< +monet0ry v0l1e. ON% Not :1se v0l1e< +gen1ine h1m0n 1ses. "m/h0sis on fl0shy - Packaging - Effects

$romote 0 const0nt sit10tion of insecurity in audience

Contents of Culture Industry Products

Cinema *tar system. $dentification with star 2ake gratification for unfulfilled li%es (Assumption: true needs 3 false needs )

elevision

Contents of Culture Industry products

)e<resents world in terms of dominant class 2iew<oints Aromotes identification wit/ status Duo &essage. C$%0$)&E

he Audience (singular!
+emands & desires created and mani<ulated &oulding of consciousness *tandardised <roducts reDuire no t/inking. ?<re1digested@ !utomated res<onses

+istraction from unfulfilling life :working in factories = offices;

Aacification of <o<ulace )e<roduction of ca<italist *ystem

H(#()$%$&'. A)$+"C#I$% C$%*"&A#I$% !"#$%$&' +(*#)$'(+

Autonomous Art
&ass culture = Hig/ Culture B !rt $nly !2ant18arde art eFgF Aicasso3 *c/oenberg %on1con2entional 2iew of reality )eDuires great effort to understand.1 Comple" parts # making up comple" whole Can :<otentially; c/ange audiences 2iews of reality 7"# elite only

)efinementsFFF
Adorno l0ter on=== :)1lt1re &nd1stry #econsidered<4 :)om/osing for the Films< $ockets of freedom 6I#HI% )1lt1re &nd1stry 'ome )1lt1re &nd1stry /rod1ction is :01tonomo1s< +>1t being killed off over time.

(,!-"!#I$% ?1estion0ble 1se of 6eber & 0reud( $2erly <essimistic - 4etrays Marx? 0ontradictions *tuck in t/eir time - T0stes of the 1//er middle cl0ss

On the other h0nd===@

%oam C/omsky3 ?&anufacturing Consent@

Habermas
'econd ,ener0tion Fr0nkf1rt "0rlier Fr0nkf1rt too neg0tive Too neg0tive ! restrictive 0 view of :re0son< #e0son h0s /ositive sides too #e0son e;ists in h1m0n l0ng10ge &de0l s/eech sit10tion( when people genuinely try to communicate ) agree with each other, in situations free of social power *istorted s/eech sit10tion( when power controls (coloni5es) people/s speech

&de0l s/eech sit10tion( &"utonomy' (6ant) *istorted s/eech sit10tion( &Heteronomy' (6ant)

H0berm0s( A1tonomy for society - " free &public sphere'7 - 8hen people can discuss things freely H0berm0s( Heteronomy for society - 8hen discussions are controlled by power +es/= )0/it0lism - ,overnment >1re01cr0cy. 'OM" m0ss medi0 0llow 01tonomy - e(g( $nternet7 discussion fora, blogs OTH"# m0ss medi0 0re heteronomo1s - e(g( 2ox 9ews, Murdoch newspapers

"utonomy and heteronomy on the internet " free &public sphere' 8ikileaks? :ulian "ssaange( #dward !nowden $ersus +oogle, "ma5on >UT H0berm0s b0ses everything on l0ng10ge==