Stuart Hall's Study Of Cultural Consumption

The study on cultural consumption of Stuart Hall relates to popular culture,media theory,subculture,cultural hegemony,etc.He put forward a series of highly innovative ideas.This paper aims at a systematic study of Hall's thought of cultural consumption,exploring its background,tracing its origin theory,discussing the representative cultural consumption view,and finding the referential significance to China.This paper consists of five chapters.The introduction introduces the significance,the research status and the methods of this paper.It is the basis of the paper.The first chapter introduces Stuart Hall briefly,and the background of Hall's cultural consumption.The cultural consumption mainly refers to the consumption of the product or service of culture and spirit.After World War II,plenty of material wealth and leisure time provides a basic condition for cultural consumption.The popular media promote the rapid development of cultural consumption.This is the overall background of Hall's of cultural consumption.Specifically,in the political aspect,the development of New Leftist accumulates theoretical resources.The improvement of welfare system breaks the class boundary.In the economy,the economic recovery provides the basic material guarantee for the cultural consumption.In the aspect of culture,Popular culture from the USA had an impact on Britain culture.And the quality of the working class improved.These changes are the social background of Hall's theory of cultural consumption.The second chapter mainly analyzes the theoretical source of Hall's theory of cultural consumption.On the one hand,Hall's thought of cultural consumption absorbs the essence of good theories.Marxism,Louis Pierre Althusser's theory of ideology,Gramsci Antonio's thoery of cultural hegemony and Semiotics have an important influence on Hall's theory of cultural consumption.On the other hand,Hall's theory of cultural consumption criticizes some negative ideas,including Leavisism and Frankfurt school.Hall does not agree with their negative views on popular culture and consumers.He gives great recognition to them.Hall's critical spirit makes the gradually mature on culture consumption.The third chapter summarizes several important points of Hall's theory of cultural consumption.On the one hand,Hall's study of cultural consumption breaks the restriction ofBermingham school's view of audience.Hall made a new interpretation of the subject of cultural consumption.Here,the public mainly refers to the working class.They can fight against mainstream culture forwardly.On the other hand,Hall points out that behind the cultural consumption is the problem of cultural hegemony.Cultural consumption is the arena of ideology.It reconstructs a new social order through the struggle between the ruling class and the ruled class.It is the reaction of cultural consumption to the politics.The fourth chapter analyzes Hall's theory of encoding and decoding.Hall changes traditional mode of communication.And he presents dominate reading,negotiated or corporate reading and counter-hegemonic reading.Then the paper takes the SONY Walkman as an example,using the theory of cultural consumption.The fifth chapter comments on Hall's theory of cultural consumption.It is a turning point in the attitude of the public.It bases on the realistic background of Britain.And it combines the results of a number of disciplines,showing openness,inclusiveness and practicality.But it also has some disadvantages.Overall,it is of great significance to China's cultural consumption.