CROSSROADS IN CULTURAL STUDIES
Fourth International Conference
June 29 - July 2, 2002, Tampere, Finland
Cultural Studies and / in / as Education
Organisers: Handel. K Wright and Karl Maton
Higgins, John (University of Cape Town,
South Africa) CRITICAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP IN RAYMOND WILLIAMS
While much lip-service is paid to Raymond Williams as one of the founders of
'cultural studies', little attention is paid to the precise cultural political
and historical space in which he negotiated his own form of cultural studies in
late 1950s Britain. This paper examines the arguments Williams made for a form
of cultural studies in his key works Culture and Society and The Long Revolution
in the light of a perceived crisis in parliamentary democracy. By championing
modes of critical literacy and connecting these to issues in citizenship,
Williams emphasized the ways in which education played a crucial role in the
'culture wars' of his time. The paper argues that many of the key issues which
Williams attempted to deal with are still current and particularly strong at a
moment where neo-liberal modes of education challenge the very being and
function of higher education across the globe.
Soetaert, Ronald and Verdoodt, Ive
(University of Ghent, Belgium) CULTURE AND EDUCATION: THE CORRECTIONS
Our paper explores two main questions: What is CS contributing to teacher
education (theory)? How can we blend (teacher) education and CS in concrete
projects (practice)? In our teacher training we are confronted with the fact
that our teachers-in-training are very critical about ideas taken from critical
discourse analysis, critical pedagogy and critical literacy. How do we
problematize and thematize our own ideas -as teachers- about culture and
education? The theoretical perspective will be illustrated with practical
examples of how we confront our students with this new kind of curriculum in an
ongoing dialogue - a space in which we can negotiate about culture. Such a space
can be described as a 'contact zone' referring to "social spaces where
cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other". Special themes will be
dealt with: representation of literacy practices/events, of institutions
(museum), of nature (environmental education), of identity
(globalisation/nation).
Ryba, Tatiana and Williams, Patrick (not
attending) (University of Tennessee, USA) CULTURAL STUDIES PRAXIS: A HYBRID
CULTURAL STUDIES, EMPIRICAL RESEARCH AND SERVICE LEARNING EXAMINATION OF A
UNIVERSITY'S PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
This paper discusses a project involving the employment of a hybrid cultural
studies theory, empirical research and service learning model in the examination
of the University of Tennessee's International House Programs. Eschewing the
traditional service model involving serving outside one's institution, the
authors participated in and studied their own institution's programs for
International students. The paper focuses on the culture of the University,
especially as it relates to its reception of "others," namely
international students, and the efficacy of the hybrid cultural studies as
praxis model.
Aittola, Tapio, (University of Jyväskylä,
FIN) AMBIVALENCES BETWEEN SCHOOL AND CULTURAL MODERNIZATION - REFLECTIONS ON
LATE MODERN SOCIALIZATION
This presentation is based on research in which I have studied relations between
cultural modernization, the school, characteristics of >late modern youth,
and some ambivalences between the school and other life spheres of today's young
people. I have studied how the coordinates of the life-world of young people -
urban life, consumption, youth cultures and electric medias, and the so-called
consumeristic socialization process are connected with the school and some other
life spheres. It seems to be increasingly difficult for the school to take into
account the dynamics of cultural modernization, with the result that many
important learning processes have shifted outside the school institution * to
leisure time, work, media, hobbies, consumption, peers and family life.
Therefore, it is useful to regard these life spheres as learning environments
which empower young people and make to learn new knowledge, skills and action
competencies. However, it is also necessary to take in notice the problems with
rising cultural egocentrism, which seem to follow the consumeristic
socialization process of today's young people.
McNeil, Maureen (Lancaster University,
United Kingdom) FROM REFLEXIVITY TO AFFECT: MINDS, BODIES, FEMINISM AND PEDAGOGY
This presentation will be a reflective consideration of how the thinking, if not
the practice, of what might broadly be designated as 'feminist cultural studies'
teaching has evolved in recent years. My particular interest is in how the
slings and arrows of outrageous theory have shaped the models of and thinking
about pedagogy. My focus will be on two main vectors: the body politic and the
politicised body. On the one hand, I want to consider some changes in the
conceptualising of the politics of teaching -- how the classroom has been
differently figured in relationship to the body politic. Secondly I will reflect
about the increasing interest in the corporeal dimensions of teaching
(particularly via the concept of 'affect').
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