EXPLORING ASIAN POPULAR CULTURE
In this section, we will revisit the assignment's expectations and the steps necessary to complete the assignment effectively.
● Identify issues and debates around how popular culture is constructed, marketed and consumed in Asia.
● Describe and apply a range of theoretical and historical perspectives on Asian popular culture.
● Requirement: a proposal and annotated bibliography for assignment 2, addressing the theme of “Intersecting high, mass and folk culture”.
● Format: a 1,250-word proposal and annotated bibliography
● Objectives:
- For the proposal (⅓ of word count):
+ Produce an infographic discussing the area of popular culture you wish to explore for your course project (assignment #2) and provide a clear justification for why the specific topic fits within the course theme.
+ State research questions for your project.
+ Identify your theoretical framework (discourse or visual/semiotic analysis) and any supporting theories/concepts you’ll likely use in the project.
+ Choose your output mode/deliverable for assignment 3 (white paper, magazine or video podcast). Remember that you won’t be able to change the topic of your project after this assignment.
- For the annotated bibliography (⅔ of word count):
+ Briefly summarize each consulted reference (what is article or book chapter about and why it is relevant to the project).
+ Contain 4 academic, peer-reviewed references ONLY.
+ Follow this source to find out how to write an annotated bibliography.
● Suggested tool: InDesign should you wish to produce an aesthetically pleasing work, otherwise Word works fine.
● Assignment structure (suggested):
- Project proposal - Background info about the topic, key term definitions and why the concept should be looked into: 450 words
- Infographic: 150 words
- Annotated bibliography: 200 words for each reference
In this segment, we will take another look at the terminology associated with assignment that is discussed within the context of the course.
|
Term |
Definition |
|
Popular culture |
According to Storey (2012), popular culture manifests itself as daily and accepted social activities, ideas and structures. In contrast with high and elitist culture, these instances enjoy the common society’s embrace. |
|
Mass culture |
Mass culture is often characterized by everyday-ness, rituals, ease of accessibility and ease of reproducibility. |
|
High culture |
High culture is often characterized by being enjoyed by an elite minority and possessing a privileged place (considered traditional). |
|
Folk culture |
Folk culture is the collective set of traditional beliefs and customs shared within a community or among people with the same cultural background, often by oral means (passed down through storytelling). |
|
Cultural homogenization |
Often considered as a result of globalization, this notion concerns the phenomenon of multiple cultures merging together and sharing similar aspects, from moral values to traditional practices. In this concept, the commercial benefits usually prove lucrative for nations to engage in “similarizing” their values with those of others. This breeds a new wave of ideologies, perspectives and desires, even to the point of citizens being considered as customers. |
|
Cultural hybridity |
As the name suggests, this idea revolves around different cultures fusing their lifestyle elements together to create new expressions and norms. From physical (food, fashion, etc.) to intellectual (religions, literature, etc.) forms, hybridization can occur throughout the societal construct. The constantly improving networks of communication act as a key player in driving this notion forward. |
|
Consumerism |
Goods, services and possessions act as consumerism’s core subjects, because this ideology is a cultural way of thinking that emphasizes their accession and usage of these items. This heightened importance on possession and consumption of materialistic means is thought to bring about fulfillment, identity and high social status. |
|
Soft power |
Usually used in the context of international relations, a country that “possesses” soft power can affect the behavior of other entities without being forceful while doing so (hence the word “soft”). It is through means like cultural attractiveness, media influence, or economic dominance that soft power is practiced. |
|
Cultural imperialism |
Discussing cultural imperialism is discussing the assertion of a culture over another. This unequal power dynamic stems from certain trends, beliefs and traditions that push those of the influenced culture out of favor among its people. |
|
Hegemony |
Gramsci’s (2019) notion of hegemony features an influential societal class that steers a society forward based on rationality and virtue. However, hegemony is not imposed by the dominant, but rather negotiated and merged with the subordinate classes’ consent. Within this concept, there are also processes of naturalization and categorization of classes, genders and ages. |
|
Gender performativity |
Rather than an innate and predetermined idea, gender identity manifests via repetitive behavior and actions. Using terms like “man” or “woman” implies social expectations that one is accustomed to. |
In this step, we will discuss in detail each component and its requirements within the assignment.
On this front, there are endless possibilities because you have the chance to explore a multitude of popular cultures not just in Vietnam but all across Asia. Based on the aforementioned definition of popular culture, any piece of culture that fits into that meaning can be leveraged into your project’s subject of discussion. When determining the focal point of your research, examine the various discussions circulating for common themes and patterns. To ease the process of selection, you should assess the following criteria before opting for that culture:
● Sufficient background information: Obviously, you need to conduct preliminary research when you first think of a popular culture that you want to explore. This means visiting the general Google search results, Google Scholar, relevant library databases on RMIT Library to see if there’s enough information and opinions on the topic. Pay extra attention to the peer-reviewed sources as you’ll draw up many ideas from them. Once the subject’s data bank is confirmed to be plentiful, you are to continue.
● Popularity: The term “popular culture” must be followed throughout the assignment. That translates to the fact that your chosen topic must be considered popular - the culture must be a socially accepted phenomenon that broadly everyone in the country understands or performs. Therefore, choosing a culture that is only practiced by an ethnic minority group won’t be appropriate. Furthermore, this culture must have pertinence in this day and age instead of the past; practices that were common from past eras and historic periods are also out of the question. Lastly, bear in mind the theme “Intersecting high, mass and folk culture” and look for pieces of culture that challenge or embrace this notion. An example is the “ao dai” - a traditional dress worn by Vietnamese people, primarily women - which shares the characteristics of both mass and folk culture. This will be an interesting topic to dissect since it fits right into the theme.
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