Cultural Studies & Power Dynamics, Media Studies, And True Education

This blog is in response to the assigned task on Cultural Studies, allotted by Dr. Dilip Barad. In this blog I am talking about power and media in Cultural studies and what is truly educated.

Cultural Studies

Understanding of Power in Cultural Studies

It is very difficult to define cultural studies, Because the word "culture" itself is so difficult to pin down. But it can be defined as ‘Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the political dynamics of contemporary culture (including popular culture) and its historical foundations.’ Researchers generally investigate the relations of existing cultural practices with the wide system of power associated with it. These include ideology, class structures, national formations, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and generation. Cultural studies seeks to understand how meaning is generated, disseminated, contested, bound up with systems or power and control and produced from the social, political and economic spheres within a particular social formation or conjuncture.

Michel Foucault came up with the idea ‘power is a whole complex of forces; it is that which produces what happens’. The question arises what is power? Power is an ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way. In other words, power is an ability to make others do what one wishes to. How does one attain power? There are 6 sources of power

• Physical force
• Wealth
• State government
• Social norms
• Ideas
• Numbers

Foucault has challenged the idea that there are several events when the power flourished in the people or group of people and argued about power being everywhere. Instead it is a kind of ‘metapower’ or ‘regime of truth’ that pervades society, and which is in constant flux and negotiation. Use of the term ‘power/knowledge’ signifies that power is constituted through accepted forms of knowledge, scientific understanding and ‘truth’. In Foucault's theories power is granted through knowledge and therefore constructs truth. Foucault’s approach to power is that it transcends politics and sees power as an everyday, socialized and embodied phenomenon

One of the Four goals of Cultural Studies is Second, cultural studies is politically engaged. It is Cultural critics are oppositional to the power structure of society at large, they try to criticize the power.

We sometimes fail to recognize that we are constantly under power. power is constantly exercised by means of surveillance. An idea, power works for social conformity and discipline is a bubble. The mechanism of surveillance in prison, school and mental hospitals train the people in the name of discipline in order to subdue everyone. One constantly feels it to be for their betterment but it's a power of administration that doesn't let an individual to exercise their power and to be free. Surveillance as tool of power can be easily seen in George Orwell's Novel 1984. Language, unity, sharing ideas is power and all this is banned in Oceania ( fictional setting of 1984).

It can be argued that schools and asylums are the areas where control is must of students and patients. But in a civic arena we can find many examples of being controlled by the power. They control our mind in a way that we don't question and are always mesmerized by their ideas. The examples are 'Thali Bajao' and 'Diya Jalao' idea of program in order thanks to first line Corona warriors. Practically thinking it's not a way of thanking it was just to distract us from the real happenings. No-one stopped him, opposed or questioned Because it's his power on us.

Symbolically, power can be read when one in authority wants to have his own exhibition; making of statues, spreading their own photographs etc.. All this becomes helpful to study the culture of the society also. What can one do to stand against power? Read and write. It helps once to be powerful in public. Power lies with authority but it lies more in mass, population (it is also the source of power). Read the power, understand it, find the reason behind every happening and write it. Foucault also recognized that power is not just negative but it can also be a productive and positive force in society.

His kind of power is neither force nor capacity nor domination nor authority. Power is impersonal because it is neither possessed nor exerted by individuals, groups, or institutions. Power is the sum total of influences that actions have on other actions. Foucauldian power is blind and purposeless.

Why is Media Studies so important in our digital culture?

Media study is a broad field of studies that deals with the history, content and impact of various collective communication methods and tools. The work of the media is to provide their audiences with facts and keep them better informed. Its work is to provide criticism and debate to ensure the information is tested.

But in the contemporary period we see the media is not working for the audience but for the one who is in power. They believe in pschofancy. Watching various new channels we realize that some channels are trying to hide the real news. E.g. in India, when the farmers were protesting the news channels were diverting the minds by showing Aryan Khan’s drug case. While the real news to be shown were farmers' protests, it was against the power. Power also has the hand on news channels.

Work of media and advertisements is to sell the product but if we see otherwise, channels are owned by the business networks they don't sell [product we are the product for them through channels. It becomes necessary to know who is in power? Who owns the channel? And is the new channel biased towards power or are they true to their journalism?

Here in the above video we can clearly see what journalism is and what supporting power. Female journalists lean towards power while the male journalist is counter questioning and trying to go against power.

Who can be considered as a 'Truly Educated Person'?

The basic definition of Education is The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. It is an act of both teaching and receiving knowledge. But the question arises with the phrase ‘truly educated’. Does a truly educated person mean one who scores highest? NO.

According to Noam Chomsky video, Truly educated means to be in a position to inquire and create on the basis of resources available, which can be appreciated and comprehended. A truly educated person is one who knows where to look, How to look, What to look, how to formulate serious questions. Truly educated has an ability to create constructively, independently without any external force/ control.

“It is not important what you cover in class but important is what you discover in class.”

Being truly educated means developing the knowledge and skill to look beyond the standard meaning to find the hidden complexity. Being educated doesn't mean certificate holders, diplomas holders, degree holders, and Doctorates. It is an aspect of growing thinking ability, practicality and power to be able to see all the aspects of a situation.

We see the literacy rate is counted as if one can write his/ her name then he/ she is literate, which is not an ample requirement of being educated. Being educated is an ability to read and understand absence, which is not told. Reading and writing are the tools to be educated. Knowing a language is not being educated. Real education is no amount of information or controversies one puts in the mind, it's about learning and understanding from the controversies. Learning about controversies is an appropriate way for students to learn about values. It provides a wide view of the situation and lets them read, have self- education about the right and wrong deed.

In short I would like to say, a truly educated person is one who develops not in class but outside the class also. he/ she has an ability to understand the surrounding, has multiple ways of looking at problems and has multiple solutions. He/ she might not have gained the marks but have an ability to fight in every real life fight. A truly educated person can read what is not even said, one might not fall in the silly traps, policies by any authority. The one who uses his practical knowledge is real life as well tries to help others share his knowledge. Other than bookish knowledge can be considered to be truly educated.

I hope you liked my blog and it was useful to you. I have shared my views on the assigned questions.

Thanks for visiting.