aus: STOREY, John: Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. London et al.

(Pearson/Prentice Hall) 2001

In the end the postinodein ilebare concerns the source of meaning, nor just its relationship to pleasure (and, in rnrn, ra the source of that pleasure) bur its relationship to power 2nd authority. Who now determines significance? Who has the right to inteaprer? For pessimists and rarionalisrs like Jameson the answer is iiiulrinational capiral rrcotds, clothes, iilms, TV shows, etc. are simply the results of decisions about markets and marLcting. For pessimists and irrarionalisrs, likc Baudrillard, the answer is nobody at all - the signs that srcrrorcnd us are arbitrary. For optimists like lain Chambers and 1.ar1.y Grossberg the answer is consumers themselves, stylists and subculturalisrs, who take the goods on offer and make their own marks wirh tl~em."'

T h e next chapter will consist mostly of a n attempt to find answers ro some of these questions.

Further Reading

Appig"ansesi Lisa, (ed.), Postmodernism, London: ICA, 1986. A collection of essays - cnosrly philosophical - on pasrmadernism. McRohbie's contribution, 'Postmodernism and popular culture', is essential reading. Best, Steven, and Douglas Kellner, Postmoden? Theory: Critical interrogntions, London: Macmillan, 1991. An excellent inrroduction to the debate ahour postmademism. Boyne, Roy and Ali Ratransi (rds), Posrmodernisrn nnd Society, London: Macmillan, 1990. A useful collection of essays, with a very good inrroductio~lto rhe main issues in the debate ahour postmodernism. I%rmker.Pctcr t1t.1 \ L I I Brao&e<:.I\ . I' <?!,,de~!zAf,,~r-ln!.~y~ 8 ~ q . ,r d.2 t!10?, r ? l c ~ ~ z s ~ c ~ ~ z ! j: .4 1 a . I IP.I< n I I . . 9 . \ ! I CX.C.IICIII : ~ ~ I F ; ~ I I I I oi ,..1,:\, wrh V C T V good intiod~~ctory sections. Collins,~. Uncommo!t Cult~rres: o ~ u l a culture and bostmod?mism. London: Routledae, rim, P r 1989. Aver). interesting book, situating popular culture in the debate about posrmoderni&. Connar. Srevcn. Postmodernist Culture: An irrtroduction to theories of the conlemuorarv. . .. 0xfo;d: Basil Blackwell, 1989. A comprehensive inrroducrion to postmodernism: useful discussion of popular culture. Docker, John, Postmodernism ond Popular Culture: A cultural history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. The aim of the book is to challenge the way a century of modernisr theory has understood twentieth-century popular culrurr. Intelligenr, polemical and very readable. Fearherstone, Mikc, Consumer Culture and Portmodernism, I.ondon: S a p , 1991. An inreiesting sociological discussion of consumer culrure and posrnmodcrnism. Essential reading. Hebdige, Dick, Hiding in the Light, London: Comedia, 1988. A collection of essays mostly related to questions of postmodernism and popular colrure. Essential reading. oostmodernism. London: Verso. Morris, Mraahan. The Pirate's Fimcee: Feminism. readirrr, . .~~ 1988. A collecrio~~ essays concerned wirh both theory and analysis. Essential reading. of Ross, Andrew ied.), Universal Abandon: The p o l i t i ~ ~ postmodentism, Minneapolis: Uniof versity of Minnesota Press, 1988. A useful collection of essays on postmodernism: some inreresring discussion of popular culture. Woods, Tim, Beginning Postmodernism, Manchester: Manchesrer University Press, 1999. Perhaps the best intr~>duction the debate which is postmodernism. to
~

218

Notes

Notes

219

Hell 1972, p. 103). Eurler, 'lmitarion and gender insubordinarion', in InsideIOut: Leshiarr theories,

on', in Fear of o Qtreer Planet, cdired by Michael Warner,

218. 219. 220. 221. 222.

" P

Ibid., p. 2. Alexander Doty, 'Something queer here', in Out in C~tlture:Gay, p. 72. Ihid. Ibid., D. 73. Ibid., 83.

p.

" "

0"

"

Postmodernism

1. McRobbie, Portmodernism and Papulor Culture, p. 13. 2. Ibid., p. 15. 3. Dick Hebdige, 'Posrmodernirrn and "the orher side"', in C ~ l t u r aTheory and Popular l Culture: A Reader. 2nd edn. edited bv . . loho Storey.. Hcmel Hempstcad: Prentice Hall, . 1998, pp. 371-2. 4. See Srcven Best and Dauelas Kellner. Postmodern Theorv: Critical inuestrfations. London: Macmillan, 1991. 5. See Susan Sontae. Asamst Interllretatlon. New York: Deli. 1966. and Leslie Firdler. The Collected Esrays of Leslie ~iedler, volume 2, New ~ o r k stein and Day, 1971. ' : 6. Sontag, Against Interpretation, p. 296. 7 . Fredric Jameson, 'Postmodernism, ar rhe culrural logic of lare capitalism', New Left Review, 146, 1984, p. 56. 8. Fredric Jameson, T h e politics of theory: ideological positions in the postmodernism debate', in The Ideologies ofTheory Essays, volume 2, London: Routledge, 1988, p. 104. 9. Sonrag, Against Interpretation, p. 299. 10. Ibid., p. 302.

-.

11. Andreas Huyssen, Afier the Great Divide: Modernism, mass ctrlttrrc and postmodeinism, London: Macmillan, 1986, p. viii. 12. Ibid., p. 57. 13. Hal Foster, 'Inrroducrion' ro Portmodern Culture, edired by Hal Foster, London: Pluto, 1985, pp. xi-xii. 14. Best and Kellner, Postntodern Theory, p. 15. 15. As Hall says, there is a sense in which postmodernism 'is about how rhe world dreams itself ro be "American"', 'Postmoderilism and arriculation', p. 132. 16. Quored in Simon Frirh and Howard Home, Art into Pop, London: Merhuen, 1987, p. 104. 17. Quoted in Frirh and Hornc, Art rnro Pop, p. 109. 18. Ibid., D. 109. 19. Ibid., 120. 20. Huvssen.. After the G~.eat Divide.. o. 188. See also Gcoree Mellv. Revolt anto Stvle: Pop . . " arts in the 50s and 60s, Oxford: Oxford Universiry Press, 1989 [iirst published in 19701. 21. Hoysren, After the Great Divide, p. 195. 22. Jean-Fransois Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A report on knowledge, Manchesrer: Manchester University Press, 1984. 23. Ibid., p. xxiv. 24. For a critical introduction ro rhe Enlightenment see Roy Porrer, Tile Enligbtei~mmt, Basingsroke: Macmillan, 1990; Dorinda Outram, The E~iightenment,Cambridge: Cambridge Universiry Press, 1995. 25. I.yotaid, The Postmodern Condition, p. 46. 26. Ibid., D. 48. 27. Ibid., p. 51. 28. For a more oosirive view of the possibiliries for a oosrmodern pedagogy see Henry A. Girouv and Peter McLaren (eds) Between ~orders:Pedagog$ and the politics of cultural sfudies, London: Routledge, 1994. 29. Lyatard, Tlw Postmodern Condition, p. 79. 30. Ibid., p. 79. 31. Sreven Connor, Portmodernist Culture: An introduction to theories of the contemporary, Oxford: Uasil Blackwell, 1989, p. 41. 32. Ibid. 33. Quoted in Connor, Postmodernist Culture, p. 41. 34. lain Chambers, Popular Cttlturc: Thc ntetropoliton experience, 1.ondon: Routledge, 1988, p. 216. 35. McRobbie, Pastmodcrnism and Popular Culture, p. IS. 36. Kobena Mercer, Welcome to the Jungle: New positions in block cultural studies, London: Routledge, 1994, p. 2. 37. Best and Icellner, Portmodern Theory, p. 109. 38. Ibid., p. 111. 39. Connor, Purtmoderrzist Culture, p 51. 40. lean Baudrillard. For a Critiaue of the Political Economy of the Siarr, Sr Louis: Telos . . . . Press, 1981, p. 185. 41. lean Baudrillard. Simulations. New York: Serniorexr(e1. 1983.. o. 2. . .. 42. ibid., p. 55. ' 43. Quoted in Frith and Horne, Art into Pop, p. 7.

b.

118. Ihid. 119. See Stuart Hall, 'The rediscovery of ideology: rhe rerurn o f rhc repressed in media srudies', and 'On posrmodern~smand ai.ticuinrion: a n interview with Srunit Hall', and Jennifer Daryl Slack, 'The theory and merhod of articulation in culruial studies', in Stldnrt Hn!l: C~,lturn!drolopues in culttrral studies, edired hv David Morley and KuanHiing Chen, Ir,ndon: Routledge, 1996; and rohn Storey, CcrI(arn1 Corrrtcmption and Everydzzg I.ife, I.oiidon: Edward Arnold, 1999. 120. Collins, 'Postmodel-i~ism and television', p. 334. 121. See Anrany Easthope, Literary into Cnltrrrol Studies, London: Routledge, 1991, and Sreven Connor, 71,eory and Cultural Value, Oxford: Blackwell, 1992. See also the drbate on value berween Antony Easthope and Steven Connor in Terttcal Practice, .~/ 4 (3), 1990 and 5 (31, 1991. Scc also John Frow, C U / ~ I I IStifdies nird Vlilue, Nevi York: Oxford Universiry Press, 1995. 122. See Jane Thompkins, Sensntional Designs: The cu!tural work of American fiction. 179&1860,New York: Oxford University Press, 1985, and Barbara Herrnsrein Smith, Contingencies of Vab~e,Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988. 123. The Four Tops, 'It's The Same Old Song', Four Tops Motozvn Greatest Hits, Motown Record Company, 1992. 124. See Bourdieu, Distinction. 12.7. John Fekete, 'Introductory notes for a postmodern value agenda', in Life After Postmoderttism, edired by John Fekcrc, New York: St Martin's Prcm, 1987, p. 17. 126. Sontag, Against Interpretation, p. 304. 127. Frith and Horne, A r l into Pop, p. 169.

m
*

-r,

McGuigan, Cultur.al Populism, London: Rourledge, 1992, p. 4. [lid\ pp. Ibid., Nicholas Gar ,'Polirical economy and cultural studies: reconciliarion or divorce', in Cultural Theon d Popular Cw!tuve: A Render, 2nd edn, edired by John Storey, 601. For an excellent response ro Garnham's Hemel ~ e m ~ s t e a i :

"

..

McGuigan, Cultura! Populism, p. 76. Ibid.., o. 79. lbicl., p. 159. Ibid., p. 171. For a similar claim ies, edired by Manin Barker and [bid., p. 85. Ibid., P. 72. Ibid., 75. John Fiske, Television Culture, London: Routledge, 1987, p. 309. Ibid. Ibid.. o. 311.

b.