Cultural resistance – Culture is what influences people’s hearts, minds and opinions. This the site of popular change. The music is a form of protest. People will only change when things are changed around them.
Cultural Hegemony: ● Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s Key Terms: ● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders ● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture ● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. ● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values ● Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. ● The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). ● These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. ● As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Subcultural Theory: The Birmingham School (1970s) ● In the 1970s, a group of cultural theorists in Birmingham applied Gramsici’s theories to post-war British working-class youth culture ● Looked at working class cultures like the teddy-boys, mods, skinheads, and punks – subcultures unified by shared tastes in fashion, music and ideology. ● They argued argued that the formation of subcultures offered young working class people a solution to the problems they were collectively experiencing in society.
There are 2 tones in the music video which are ska (reggae) and punk which intertwine. With whites and different races combing they protested again racism.
Synopsis– a teen girl who is struggling with mental health issues feels very isolated spending much of her time listening to sad music: she wants to become a singer but doesn’t believe it’s possible for a girl like her. Then she comes across Demi Lavato who was going through similar struggles to her and succeeded whilst showing the lights of recovery, inspiring her to make her own music.
Statement of intent–
I would like to create 2 different posters of a film based upon how music stars can deeply connect with even the most vulnerable people and significantly change their outlook on life. I would like it to show this transition from hopelessness to optimism through the posters. I could do this by using a contrast of colours/ saturation levels and the character presenting a right-frame gaze (Barthes suggests using connotations such as these in order to promote meaning). Both posters will portray anchorage in order for clear connotations and signification. I will use a message reduction technique to allow others to connect easily with the ideas of the film.
The posters will show the internal structure theorised by Todorov (Tripartite narrative structure) which is when there is an equilibrium, disruption and new equilibrium. This will be represented through a flashback of childhood followed by the low state she is in as a teen then her finding Demi Lavato’s music and being so inspired.
There will be 3 main characters: the girl, her bestfriend and her dad. The girl will show a positive stereotype towards the end. In the posters it will only feature the faces of the girl and Demi Lovato to emphasise the strong relationship that is between them.
The type of company that would make my film would be a big cinema company which would later get downloaded to a conglomerate like Netflix to attract a wider audience of a whole generation of people and allow for more private watching alone.
The genre will be a drama however it may be a hybrid genre as there will be a musical aspect to it as well.
I will try to use two different types of background in one of my film posters to show how things change and in the other one I will combine the two situations in one big picture to add a sense of mystery and inquisitiveness. I will use a serif font for the title like all these posters do and included a quote from someone who has watched it in smaller text. In one of the posters I will use a close-up to connect with the character and in the other I will use a long shot to show how the character is dominated by their environment. The signified is the powerful impact music can have on your outlook of life and the signifier is the face expressions and colour tones. The dull colours are a symbolic symbol of sadness, the shape of the trees in the Big fish poster are an indexical sign of fish bones. The film poster A Beautiful Mind challenges the ideology of men having to act strong all the time and is a radical character whereas in Braveheart the main character is presented as reactionary.
The video, directed by Barney Bubbles, consists of bass player Panter driving the band around London in a 1961 Vauxhall Cresta, intercut with views of streets and buildings filmed from the moving vehicle, and ends with a shot of the band standing on the banks of the River Thames at low tide. The Specials played a type of ska music known as 2-Tone – named after The Specials’ record company. A hydrid mix of Jamaican reggae, American 1950s pop and elements of British punk rock, it was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Coventry was a thriving industrial town in 1960s, but fell on hard times in the 1980s. “Ghost Town” caught the mood of Summer 1981 as levels of civil unrest not seen in a generation hit the UK. The song was influenced by scenes noted during the band’s UK tour. Released almost 40 years ago, Ghost Town was a protest song, a bitter commentary on Thatcher’s England. Its despair-laden lyrics reflected the depressing time: a country in deep recession and the decimation of towns and cities like Coventry where The Specials hailed from.
Ghost Town by The Specials conveys a specific moment in British social and political history while retaining a contemporary relevance. The cultural critic Dorian Lynskey has described it as ‘’a remarkable pop cultural moment’’ one that “defined an era’’. The video and song are part of a tradition of protest in popular music, in this case reflecting concern about the increased social tensions in the UK at the beginning of the 1980s. The song was number 1 post-Brixton and during the Handsworth and Toxteth riots.
The aesthetic of the music video, along with the lyrics, represents an unease about the state of the nation, one which is often linked to the politics of Thatcherism but transcends a specific political ideology in its eeriness, meaning that it has remained politically and culturally resonant.
The representations in the music video are racially diverse. This reflects its musical genre of ska, a style which could be read politically in the context of a racially divided country. This representation of Britain’s emerging multiculturalism, is reinforced through the eclectic mix of stylistic influences in both the music and the video.
Key Concepts: ● Cultural resistance – Key idea:the political, personal and cultural are always intertwined. ● Cultural hegemony – Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s. Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Key Terms:
Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders
Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture
Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means.
Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values
● Subcultural theory – The Birmingham School (1970s) – In the 1970s, a group of cultural theorists in Birmingham applied Gramsici’s theories to post-war British working-class youth culture. Looked at working class cultures like the teddy-boys, mods, skinheads, and punks – subcultures unified by shared tastes in fashion, music and ideology. They argued argued that the formation of subcultures offered young working class people a solution to the problems they were collectively experiencing in society.
Working-class youth culture
Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology
A solution to collectively experienced problems
A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
Context: ● Race Relations – The police heavily influenced race relations, alterations between black youth and the police, black youth were associated with crime – according to the police. There were the SUS laws meaning there was a stop and search law that permitted a police officer to stop, search and potentially arrest people just on suspicion. New Cross Fire, the blaze broke out on 18 January 1981 at a joint birthday party for Yvonne Ruddock and Angela Jackson at 439 New Cross Road in Lewisham. The party had begun the night before and gone over into the next day. In addition to the 13 who died in the fire, 27 were injured and a 14th took his own life two years later. For four decades, the cause of the fire has remained a source of serious contention. Police officers at the scene of the fire initially blamed the neo-fascist National Front. That group advocated the an end to immigration and the repatriation of non-white Britons. In the 1970s, the NF gained the support of disillusioned white youth. After WW2, many Caribbean men and women migrated to Britain seeking jobs. They were faced with racism and discrimination, and found it difficult to find employment and housing. During the 1970s and 1980s, the children of these Caribbean immigrants were reaching adulthood. They were subject to violence and discrimination from both the state and far right groups. However, they more likely to resist the racism of British society compared with their parents. ● Thatcher’s Britain – Margaret Thatcher had a hardline attitude towards immigration. Conservative Manifesto: ‘firm immigration controlfor the future is essential if we are to achievegood community relations’. British Nationality Act of 1981: introduced aseries of increasingly tough immigration procedures and excluded Asian people from entering Britain. She was prime minister from 1979-1990.
Case Studies: ● Rock Against Racism – RAR campaigned against racism in the music industry and against the rise of fascism among white working class youth between 1976 and 1981. It was formed on the assumption that popular music could educate their audiences away from prejudice through example. They focused on addressing white working class youth who were vulnerable to NF recruitment. It capitalised on the emerging genres of punk and reggae, which provided an oppositional language through which RAR could communicate its anti-racist politics. RAR organised hundreds of musical events, gigs and carnivals featuring famous punk bands (like the Clash and X-ray Spex) on the same stage as black bands (like Steel Pulse, Asward). Putting black and white bands on the same stage together was a new phenomena, and was highly successful in producing a theatrical statement of multiculturalism and solidarity. RAR’s fusion of youth culture and politics has been widely celebrated for making politics fun. This fusion of politics and culture engaged disaffected white youth in the face of profound political and economic insecurity, class tensions and escalating racism. ● Rock Against Sexism – Rock Against Sexism was British anti-sexist campaign that used punk as a vehicle to challenge sexism, promoting female musicians while challenging discrimination in the music industry between 1979 and 1982. To raise both consciousness and funds, a small group of RAS activists in London organised musical events, printed publications, and hosted musical and discussion workshops. Profits were donated to organisations like the National Abortion Campaign, Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis. When female musicians did break into the mainstream, the music press was often mocking, criticising and patronising. ● 2 Tone – Genre of British popular music, that fused punk with Jamaican reggae and ska music. 2 Tone label were largely multicultural. 2 Tone brought black and white musicians into the same bands. The songs addressed the political issues of the day: racism, sexism, violence, unemployment, youth culture, and were highly critical of the police, and the authoritarian government. By summer 1981, while Britain experienced rioting across many cities, with Specials at the top of the charts with ‘Ghost Town’, 2 Tone imploded and many of the bands split up.
Thinking about a political protest, they include this attempts to change to laws or legislation, organised political movements, public protests, petitions, marches. But they also include cultural resistance and everyday people.
Black Music as Resistance:
Black music offered a means of articulating oppression and of challenging what Gilory has termed, ‘the capitalist system of racial exploitation and domination’.
The lyrics of many reggae songs revolve around the black experience black history, black consciousness of economic and social deprivation, and a continuing enslavement in a racist ideology.
Reggae is often sung in Jamaican patois, emphasising a black subjectivity that is independent from white hegemony.
Criticism The Birmingham School’s subcultural theory: ● Focused on white working class masculinity ● Ignored ethnic minority, female and queer youth cultures
What is a subculture? ● Working-class youth culture ● Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology ● A solution to collectively experienced problems ● A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
Post-War British Race Relations: ● To understand the political significance of black music in the 1970s and 1980s, we must first understand the racial situation in post war Britain. ● After WW2, many Caribbean men and women migrated to Britain seeking jobs. They were faced with racism and discrimination, and found it difficult to find employment and housing. ● During the 1970s and 1980s, the children of these Caribbean immigrants were reaching adulthood. They were subject to violence and discrimination from both the state and far right groups. However, they more likely to resist the racism of British society compared with their parents.
cultural resistance – Overt political protest is uncommon. When it occurs, it often results in a backlash. Even if overt political protest does results in changes in legislation, it won’t necessarily change public opinion. Culture is what influences people’s hearts, minds and opinions. This is the site of popular change.
‘The political, personal and cultural are always intertwined.‘
cultural hegemony(Antonio Gramsci) – the dominant culture, power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions. These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
subcultural theory – (the Birmingham school theory) In the 1970s, a group of cultural theorists in Birmingham applied Gramsci’s theories to post-war British working-class youth culture. They argued argued that the formation of subcultures offered young working class people a solution to the problems they were collectively experiencing in society.
Black music offered a means of articulating oppression and of challenging what Gilroy has termed, ‘the capitalist system of racial exploitation and domination’.
Key Concepts: ● Cultural resistance ● Cultural hegemony ● Subcultural theory Context: ● Race Relations ● Thatcher’s Britain Case Studies: ● Rock Against Racism ● Rock Against Sexism ● 2 Tone
We first think of these ideas:
○ Attempts to change to laws or legislation ○ Organised political movements ○ Public protests ○ Petitions, marches
However, we can look at:
○ Cultural resistance ○ Everyday people
The political, personal and cultural are always intertwined
Who is Antonio Gramsci? Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s Key Terms: ● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders ● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture ● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. ● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values
Birmingham School
● In the 1970s, a group of cultural theorists in Birmingham applied Gramsici’s theories to post-war British working-class youth culture
What is a subculture? ● Working-class youth culture ● Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology ● A solution to collectively experienced problems ● A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
Linear– events of the plot unfold the way that they happen
Chronological– events are sequenced in order of time
Sequential– events which are arranged one after the other in a sequence within a narrative.
Circular structure– when a plot begins in the same place in the way it ends. Character undergoes a transformation.
Time based- continuous moving image that displays a change in time.
Narrative arc– The path the story follows- ups and downs, climax and resolution which is reflected in an arc shape.
Freytag’s Pyramid– 19th century German playwright ‘Freytag’s’ diagram of dramatic structure.
exposition- background information on the characters and setting explained at the beginning of the story. Earlier events are alluded to.
inciting incident– The hook, the event that sets the main character or characters on the journey that will occupy the narrative.
rising action– The incline of a narrative arc. Often, the events that lead up to the climax.
climax– The point of highest intensity or major conflict within in a narrative. The steepest point of a narrative arc.
falling action– The declining part of a narrative arc. Often, what happens after the climax and resolution of the major conflict.
resolution-
denouement– The final part of the narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
Beginning / middle / end- How linear narratives are sequenced.
Equilibrium– First stage of Todorov’s theory. The situation and characters are introduced in a normal circumstance.
Disruption– Second stage of Todorov’s theory. A change takes place causing an alter in the norm.
New equilibrium– Third stage of Todorov’s theory. The change in circumstance is overcome and the situation reaches a new normal.
Peripeteia– A sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances
Anagnoresis– A character discovers their own, or another character’s true identity.
Catharsis– The process of releasing and providing relief from repressed emotions. The purging of strong emotion.
The 3 Unities: Action, Time, Place– The 3 traditional unities of drama. The Aristotelian idea that a narrative should be set in once place, in one time frame, focused on one action.
flashback / flash forward-Flashback is when the current narrative is interrupted by a previous event which could provide key information about a character etc. Flash-forward is when the current narrative is interrupted by an event that is yet to take place.
Foreshadowing– When events that take place later on in the narrative are alluded to or hinted towards.
Ellipsis– The exclusion of action from a narrative because it can be inferred from dialogue and other action.
Pathos– A quality that evokes feelings of pity and sadness.
Empathy– The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
diegetic / non-diegetic sound– Diegetic sound occurs within the context of the story and able to be heard by the characters. Non diegetic sound occurs externally to the narrative, not heard by the characters
slow motion– Visual effect created either by the actors or as a special effect in the edit. Time is slowed down.
Political protest: ○ Attempts to change to laws or legislation ○ Organised political movements ○ Public protests ○ Petitions, marches
Political protest can be seen in terms of: ○ Cultural resistance ○ Everyday people
Why look at cultural resistance? ○ Overt political protest is uncommon. When it occurs, it often results in a backlash. ○ Even if overt political protest does results in changes in legislation, it won’t necessarily change public opinion. ○ Culture is what influences people’s hearts, minds and opinions. This is the site of popular change. Key idea: the political, personal and cultural are always intertwined
Cultural Hegemony:
Antonio Gramsci: Italian philosopher writing in the 1930s Key Terms: ● Hegemonic: dominant, ruling-class, power-holders ● Hegemonic culture: the dominant culture ● Cultural hegemony: power, rule, or domination maintained by ideological and cultural means. ● Ideology: worldview – beliefs, assumptions and values
Cultural hegemony functions by framing the ideologies of the dominant social group as the only legitimate ideology. The ideologies of the dominant group are expressed and maintained through its economic, political, moral, and social institutions (like the education system and the media). These institutions socialise people into accepting the norms, values and beliefs of the dominant social group. As a result, oppressed groups believe that the social and economic conditions of society are natural and inevitable, rather than created by the dominant group.
Subcultural Theory:
Subculture: ● Working-class youth culture ● Unified by shared tastes in style, music and ideology ● A solution to collectively experienced problems ● A form of resistance to cultural hegemony
The Birmingham School (1970s)
● They argued argued that the formation of subcultures offered young working class people a solution to the problems they were collectively experiencing in society.
● Looked at working class cultures like the teddy-boys, mods, skinheads, and punks – subcultures unified by shared tastes in fashion, music and ideology.
Teddy Boys: 1950/60s ● Responding to: post-war social changes ● Music: influenced by American rock n roll ● Style: upper-class Edwardian fashion (narrow trousers, lapelled jackets), fused with an element of rebelliousness in the form of exaggerated hairstyles and shoes (quiffs and creepers)
Skinheads: 1960s
● Responding to: social alienation. ● Rejected: late 50s conservatism, as well as the ‘peace and love’ middle class hippy movement of 60s ● Expression of: working class pride ● Music: West Indian music (ska, rocksteady, reggae) ● Style: shaven heads, Dr Marten boots, braces, shirts, and cropped trousers ● Politics: Original skinheads were anti-racist, however the movement quickly polarised
Punk: 1970s ● A Reaction to: ● 1) Capitalist middle class culture that has achieved dominance and legitimacy (hegemony) ● 2) Their alienation from the adult working class culture of their parents and grandparents ● 3) The social, political and economic crisis of the mid1970s, resulting in high youth unemployment ● Values: anti-establishment, emphasis on individual freedom, on doing it yourself. ● Fashion: emphasised ugliness, shock value, irony. Used items like safety pins, ripped shirts, chains. ● Music: often self-produced and independently distributed, the music is loud and aggressive, with lyrics expressing antiestablishment views and working class concerns.
Positives of The Birmingham School’s subcultural theory: ● Validated the study of popular culture – previously considered superficial Criticism The Birmingham School’s subcultural theory: ● Focused on white working class masculinity ● Ignored ethnic minority, female and queer youth cultures
Gilroy
Gilroy highlighted how black youth cultures represented cultural solutions to collectively experienced problems of racism and poverty
Racial otherness: ‘Ain’t no black in union jack’- His book
Civilisation: For Gilroy, the 9/11 World trade Centre terrorist attack in 2001, and it’s aftermath, radically altered both the tone and nature of the media-orientated representations regarding race and racial difference.
Legacy of the Empire: Gilroy suggests that we live in a ‘morbid culture of a once-imperial nation that has not been able to accept its inevitable loss of prestige’ (Gilroy, 2004) He argued that the British are undergoing a crisis of national identity: the loss of the British Empire has forced a collective question regarding British identification.
Race Relations
1970s and 1980s: Racism from the State: The Police ● Frequent clashes between the police and black youth ● Widespread fears over law and order, black street crime and the figure of ‘the mugger’ ● SUS laws ● New Cross Fire (1981)
Racism from Far-Right Groups: The NF (national front) ● The National Front was a far-right group ● Advocated the an end to immigration and the repatriation of non-white Britons. ● Blamed immigration for the decline in employment, housing and welfare. ● In the 1970s, the NF gained the support of disillusioned white youth ● Racial attacks, violence and intimidation
Margaret Thatcher:
● Prime Minister 1979-1990 ● Militant campaigner for middle-class interests ● In an 1978 interview: ‘British national identity could be swamped by people with different culture’ ● Hard line attitude towards immigration ● Conservative Manifesto: ‘firm immigration control for the future is essential if we are to achieve good community relations’ ● British Nationality Act of 1981: introduced a series of increasingly tough immigration procedures and excluded Asian people from entering Britain.
● Scapegoating
Rock against Sexism
Rock Against Sexism was British anti-sexist campaign that used punk as a vehicle to challenge sexism, promoting female musicians while challenging discrimination in the music industry between 1979 and 1982.
Why was RAS needed?
– 1970s saw a plethora of sexist song lyrics, record covers and band advertisements, many depicting violence towards women.
– The terms ‘feminism’ and ‘sexism’ were not in common currency during this time, and there was widespread scepticism among young people with regards to organised feminism.
BBC News
The Specials: How Ghost Town defined an era
Jon Kelly
Specials gigs began to attract the hostile presence of groups like the National Front and the British Movement. When vocalist Neville Staple sighed wearily on Ghost Town that there was “too much fighting on the dance floor”, he sang from personal experience.
“But you don’t listen to Ghost Town and think it’s weird. I was 11 when it was released and I don’t remember going, ‘What’s this?’ At the time there were a lot of political songs in the charts. But if a record like that got to number one today you’d go, ‘Wow, that’s bizarre.'”
“It sums up how it felt to be young at the time,” he says. “But at the same time it’s timelessly resonant. “There are a handful of tunes that do that and Ghost Town is one of them.”
The conversation (news)
‘Ghost Town’: a haunting 1981 protest song that still makes sense today
Abigail Gardner
It’s an odd, eerie song, nodding to pop convention and sitting wilfully outside of it. It’s included, in passing, in Dorian Lynskey’s beautifully written book on protest songs, “33 Revolutions Per Minute”, but unlike the band’s “Free Nelson Mandela” does not merit its own chapter.
Claude Levi-Strauss (Binary Oppositions)
This theory suggests that NARRATIVES (=myths) are STRUCTURED around BINARY OPPOSITIONS eg. good and bad.
As such, it encourages students to understand narrative as a structure of key (oppositional) themes that underpin action and dialogue to develop a set of messages that the audience are able to decode and understand.
It creates a dominant message (ideology) of a film, TV programme, advert, music video, animation etc. So in this way audiences are encouraged to make a judgements about characters, groups, places, history, society etc.
Texts can be seen to either support the dominant ideologies of a society, which would make it a reactionary text ,or to challenge, question or undermines the dominant ideologies of society, in which case it could be seen as a radical text.
