The Faces of Popular Culture

While this article was very long and covered an incredibly large body of information that was at times a bit daunting, it was nonetheless, very interesting. It would be impossible to attempt to comment on everything so I will comment on a few key themes that I noticed through and through. One point that the author seemed to really drill in is the fact that in Latin America, popular culture is quite often the result of a hybridization between many elements of indigenous and European influence, and as the mixing between the rural and the urban. While very superficially it can be stated that indigenous civilizations were "crushed" in a sense by conquest and colonialism, these indigenous traditions are still very prevalent and are integrated into Latin American Culture.
This hybridization can be seen in many elements of culture including music, religion, story telling, poetry, and theatre, etc. The author speaks of "popular Catholicism" which refers to a type of Catholicism which is popularly practiced that mixes traditions of both "official" Catholicism (ie how the Spanish had perhaps intended the religion to be practiced) and how it has come to be practiced defined by the mixing of many religious ideas coming together. Relics such as The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Day of the Dead festival are examples of how these practices have come together over time.
After reading this article, I feel that I have come to look at popular culture in a different way. Rather than merely accepting it at face value, I feel that this article sheds light upon how much history is directly embedded into the popular cultural practices of today, and how much popular culture is influenced by socio-cultural structures throughout time. Just as Latin America is made up of many different histories (ie indigenous stories, stories of colonization, the idea of the mestizo identity, and differing power structures throughout history) these many elements seem to directly influence popular culture in a way that is often overlooked.
On page 138 the author writes: "...the development of capitalism in Brazil entailed the formation of a black subculture whose response to the harsh reality of discrimination and exploitation led to a rejection of the work ethic and to a counter-culture of idealization and idleness and of the body as a source of pleasure rather than as an instrument of work." This quote made me think about the concept of culture as a coral reef and how culture does not merely naturally exist and change over time in an almost spontaneous unconcious manner, but rather is defined by a direct reaction to social forces that define reality atat the time and have perpetually defined reality through out history.

The People and Power

The concept of 'the people' is complex and may have very different meanings to different people. Like the concept of 'culture' it is something that may seem straightforward at first, but is multi layered and loaded with many different interpretations. In Eva Peron's 'My Message,' she speaks to the people in a reflective manner looking back on her high profile time in the political world. She also looks to the future and explains her hopes and aspirations for her beloved people of Argentina. Peron paints a portrait of collective identity that is often defined by suffering, struggle, and the corruption of power. In this sense of collevtive identity, she aims to identify herself as one of 'the people' who understands their struggles, as opposed to an elite merely looking down upon them from a high position in society. She seems to be speaking most strongly to the people who are disenfranchised and pushed to the margins of society; a group that may be powerless individually but incredibly strong in numbers. Much of what Peron speaks about is a sort of power struggle, between the elite who have concentrated power and use it for furthering personal self interest, and the rest of society which falls victim to this power when it is flexed self serving ways. Her ideal of 'the people' is a mass of people who work collectively to further the good of society and together, and can become stronger than the individualistic and oppurtunist elite in control. She speaks idealistically about how power corrupts and how this power often comes at the expense of the better good of the collective 'we'. Peron's message is positive as it aims to empower the masses in a society that has been marked by extreme concentration and exploitation of power, however it is interesting that she is in fact writing this from the perspective of a person in a high-class position of great prestige. I do not know much about her, but from I what I do understand is that ironically, she was labelled by many as an oppurtunist or social climber, though this may also have to do with the fact that people were uncomfortable with a woman in a position of social power. It is also interesting, that as a women, she aims to empower other women and advocates for them, however constantly referes to herlsef in a subserviant role to her husband. Peron's style of writing was very extreme, but I think that despire the controversy around her, her message was overall, very empowering. It is rare to find a politician or person in a position of social power who legitimatley advocates for 'the people' over serving themselves first. It is also rare that a person in this position would be so willing to discuss the dimensions and inequality of power and oppression that exist within society.

The second article was also interesting and offered a differing view of the people. I feel that I would take more away from this article if I had more knowledge about the political situation in Argentina during this time. I know that the Peron's were populice leaders who were controversial and both loved and hated by the country, but without knowing much more beyond this, it was a little difficult for me to understand exactly the perspective of the person writing. I am also interesting in discussing further the symbolism of the Monster.

Making sense of 'culture'

I found both articles that we read this week both challenging and insightful. The first was confusing for me to follow, but nonetheless, offered an interesting outlook of culture that seemed very relevant to our discussion in class last week. I did find it slightly ironic that his main point was that culture is ordinary and accessible, and that education too should be accessible, however his style of writing was so complex that it seems like it could only be truly digested by a very specific, and well educated sector of society. The second article also made interesting points, but was so infused with jargon and theory that it too was hard to follow at times. It is interesting that while culture is something that is experienced by everyone and infused in both the identity of the individual and of a larger society, it remains a concept that is very difficult to define. These articles attempted to broaden our notions of what culture is. I think that both articles aimed to suggest that culture is not something that exists in a far away, out of reach, elite, or 'tribal' sector of society, but rather, as something experienced by everyone all the time. Culture is defined in everyday encounters. This brought me back to the discussion we had in class about the differences between 'high culture' and 'popular culture.' It made me reflect upon my own culture, American culture, and question: what is more telling of American culture? Fast-food, hip-hop and Hollywood, or fine literature, fine arts, and free jazz? Is it possible that both categories are definitive of culture only in different ways? I think that this relates to the Keesing article in the sense that when we look at different societies in an attempt to better understand their cultures, we have a tendency to 'other' them and create binaries and contained categories of what elements of culture we perceive as 'valid,' and what elements we overlook altogether. "...this pursuit of the exotic Other is still a persistent theme, and "culture" is a powerful device for its perpetuation" (6). We have a tendency to reduce cultures to a set of artifacts that we consider to be 'authentic,' often leaving out the more everyday and 'ordinary' elements that also define culture.

Introduction

Hello!
My name is Emily and I am a third year student at UBC and am from the San Francisco bay area. I am studying sociology and anthropology, and am regionally very interested in learning more about Latin America. I took a class with Jon last semester and really enjoyed it and his funny banter, of for that, I am back for more. I look forward to getting to know everyone! See you in class.

Emily