Cross-context Practice

Cultural Studies is the hot--theory in contemporary society. The Chinese scholars know these theories of Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall and John Fiske well and respond actively and enthusiastically. As an opening interdisciplinary theory or academic paradigm, Cultural Studies shows rich vigour. Its plural different way of thinking sets Literary Studies free from very narrow space. The feature of practicality of Cultural Studies facilitates literature to build the closer ties with society and life, and it counters and transcends Literary Studies which is more disciplinary, closed and excessively self-disciplined. Undeniabely, the demands of its returning and attaching importance to the interior on literature are revolutionary in 1980s in China. The literature in China has richness and freshness under the special and historical circumstances(the initinal forming of consumer society, the tendency of visual culture from marge to center, the emergence of "aesthetic generalities" , etc. in contemporary era). Especially with the very fast development of technology and widespread use of electronic media, the prodution, circulation and acceptance of literature and art are changed thoroughly. If taking aesthetic or artistic view purely, we could not seize the strange and changeful reality wholly, so the scholars have to extend the field of vision of studying and concern the everyday life. The western Cultural Studies with its introduction and circulation in China becomes the point of making innovation for Literary Studies.Of course, the "Cultural Turn" on Literary Studies in China is not only decided by Cultural Studies but also depends on many factors and specific circumstance. The reason is that Cultural Studies has very typicalness as a example in this thesis. Oncondition that transcending the thinking of binary opposition with opening dimentions, I try my best to investigate and analyse the important influence of the western Cultural Studies and the thesis involves reflection on it.Cultural Studies brings many new changes to Literary Studies in China. These changes are: 1. Turning of attitude on mass culture. With the effect of cultural critical theory of Frankfurt School, the scholars mainly take a skeptical, disdainful and deniable attitude to the early mass culture in China. The theories inspire the scholars in China including Williams' s "cultural materialism" , Hall's "encoding/decoding" and Fiske' s definitions of the "popular" ," culture" and " two kinds of economy theory( financial economy and cultural economy)" which change the scholars' attitude gradually from pessimism to positiveness. 2. "Decanonization" . Because Cultural Studies pays more attention to the reading of "non-canon" , marginal culture and sub-culture, there are many changes on "canon" : extruding of the vivosphere of "canon" , desorbing of the concept of literary "text" , weakening of the idea of "canon" , revealing of the operation of power behind the "canon" and so on. Cultural Studies produces a new field for analyzing the "canon" . 3. "Anti-discipline" . The installation of "discipline" keeps us taking actions according to the rules of it, but encourages the single and mechanic tendency at the same time. Furthermore, they lead to the closed discipline with the influence of "liguisitics turn" in the development of literary theory and the great ambition of scholars of setting up a scholarship for universal or effective explanation In addition, there are other factors such as excessively self-disciplined in Literary Studies and mischief of "essence" in China. The characteristic of interdisciplinary feature of CulturalStudies enlightens the blind area behind the frame of traditional discipline. Cultural Studies embodies the self-awakening of intellectuals and transformation of their roles: the replacement from the decoders of seeking the "essence" behind the metaphor of literature to interpreters or interventionists of understanding the formation of meaning in the greatly comprehensive "cultural context" .When compared with other theo...