According to Dittmer,
Popular Culture is a contested term that is defined by the whole spectrum of
activities involving mass consumption (International Encyclopaedia of Human
Geography, Popular Culture, 2009). To
trace the genealogy of the term it is necessary to go back to the origins of
‘Popular Culture’, in which the term was used to contrast the culture enjoyed
by the working classes with the ‘high culture’ enjoyed by social elites.
Culture was originally
perceived as a derivative of nature, associated with the finest of human
activities from labour and agriculture to crops and cultivation (Eagleton,
2000, 1). It did not resemble ethnicity, or a constituency of people, rather a
physically enduring activity involving the worshipping and protection of the
natural environment. The evolution of the concept of culture involved
amendments to the social history, as a dialectic between the artificial and the
natural sought an unfolding between rural to urban existence. Issues of freedom
and determinism, agency and endurance, change and identity became dimly into
focus, as apathy of the natural environment evolved (Eagleton, 2000, 2).
The cultural is what we
can change, but the stuff to be altered has its own autonomous existence, which
then lends it something of the recalcitrance of nature. Culture is also a
matter of following rules, and this too involves an interplay of the regulated
and unregulated (Eagleton, 2000, 4). Rule following diverges beyond physical
existence, as psychological attributes influence the micro and macro
surroundings of individuals. It constitutes of a tension between rationality
and spontaneity, neglecting anarchic or autocratic forces, focussing on the
disembodied intellect of the Enlightenment. This defies the cultural
reductionism of former historical preludes, igniting contemporary thought. Furthermore,
culture is grasped as ‘self culture’ creating a division within one’s self,
between that part of us which cultivates and refines, and whatever within us
constitutes the raw material for such refinement (Eagleton, 2000, 5). This
possesses power within an individual to desire and reason. Such refinement has
evolved in the manner of popular culture, imposing profound impact upon the
origins of culture, indeed the Schooling System.
The integration of Popular
Culture and Education was positively enforced into the Australian education
system, as educators are now encouraged to incorporate digital and visual texts
into the teaching of the English language. The analysis of various websites,
blogs, Television Shows, advertisements, films and Social Media accounts
provides an engaging and new approach to the traditional ways of literature
studies (the Australian, 2013). “The material would be engaging and I guess
there’s a demand for a more youthful and fresh approach to teaching literature
(the Australian, 2013)”. This reignites ideas of popular culture uplifting the
Educational institution, despite the refinement of the concept of culture.
Personally, the
experience of Popular Culture being integrated into an educational facility is
perceived as an uplifting and rewarding approach. It incorporates the interests
and culture of the younger generation, with the traditional writings and
literature of historic persons. This medium maintains empowerment of historic
intellectuals, remodelled by the interests of its youth. Falkner reveals that
Popular Culture among the Classroom comprises of a pervasive, often invisible,
and ideological view that shapes our society (Falkner, 2011, 2).
References
Phttp://www.sciencedirect.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au/science/article/pii/B9780080449104009871
Really interesting post Heba. I also agree that an incorporation of pop culture into the classroom can be a rewarding and uplifting approach for educators. I think you sum it up perfectly by stating that "this medium maintains empowerment of historic intellectuals, remodelled by the interests of its youth". The increasing influence of pop culture is a fact of our modern world, and the influence will only continue to increase. So as educators, I think it's really important to incorporate the right amount of popular culture references into the classroom. There should be a merge between tradition teaching texts and practices and more modern pop-culture influenced approaches. This combination, I believe, will be the foundations of a new "norm" for education.
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