Understanding Popular Culture

by John Fiske

This revised edition of a now classic text includes a new introduction by Henry Jenkins, explaining 'Why Fiske Still Matters' for today's students, followed by a discussion between former Fiske students Kevin Glynn, Jonathan Gray, and Pamela Wilson on the theme of 'Reading Fiske and Understanding the Popular'. Both underline the continuing relevance of this foundational text in the study of popular culture.

What is popular culture? How does it differ from mass culture? And what do popular "texts" reveal about class, race, and gender dynamics in a society? John Fiske answers these and a host of other questions in Understanding Popular Culture.

When it was first written, Understanding Popular Culture took a groundbreaking approach to studying such cultural artifacts as jeans, shopping malls, tabloid newspapers, and TV game shows, which remains relevant today. Fiske differentiates between mass culture - the cultural "products" put out by an industrialized, capitalist society - and popular culture - the ways in which people use, abuse, and subvert these products to create their own meanings and messages. Rather than focusing on mass culture's attempts to dominate and homogenize, he prefers to look at (and revel in) popular culture's evasions and manipulations of these attempts.

Designed as a companion to Reading the Popular, Understanding Popular Culture presents a radically different theory of what it means for culture to be popular: that it is, literally, of the people. It is not imposed on them, it is created by them, and its pleasures and meanings reflect popular tastes and concerns - and a rejection of those fostered by mass culture. With wit, clarity, and insight, Professor Fiske debunks the myth of the mindless mass audience, and demonstrates that, in myriad ways, popular culture thrives because that audience is more aware than anyone guesses.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Theory, Philosophy, Cultural, Academic

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

John Fiske (born 1939) is a media scholar who has taught around the world. He was a Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His areas of interest include cultural studies, popular culture, media semiotics and television studies. He is the author of eight books, including Power Plays, Power Works (1993), Understanding Popular Culture (1989), Reading the Popular (1989), and the influential Television Culture (1987). Fiske also acts as a media critic, examining how cultural meaning is created in American society, and how debates over issues such as race are handled in different media. In May 2008, Fiske received an Honorary Degree from the University of Antwerp.

Reviews

[Rene Stein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dočetl jsem knihu jen proto, že duševní utrpení také patří k životu. :) A tenhle simulátor je pořád lepší, než poslouchání nalitých politizujících štamgastů v hospodě. O málo, ale je. Z recenzí jsem získal dojem, že v Čechách vyšlo kultovní dílo. Fiske má pár dobrých postřehů k populární kultuře, ale za vše zajímavé v teorii vděčí Barthesovi a dalším veličinám. Když k Barthesově rozlišování mezi texty ke čtení a texty ke psaní přidá Fiske texty k produkování, nepovažuji tuhle distinkci za oslňující intektuální výkon. Přiznám se, že kniha mě hlavně odpuzovala svým marxistickým slovníkem. Slovo neomarxismus je dnes v ČR významově vyprázdněná dehonestující etiketa pro označení názorů, které lezou dotyčnému na nervy a které s (neo) marxismem nijak nesouvisí. Užijte si, že v této knize jsou třídy, lid, proletariát, odcizení atd. používány bez jakékoli ironie. Ani Frankfurtská škola nepůsobí při používání stejnych pojmů tak křečovitě.
Překlad se souslovími typu "silikonovými údolími" mě také nenadchnul.
A protože nechci, abyste trpěli taky, tady je tl;dr verze.
Dominantní a represivní síly ve společnosti produkují populární kulturu, která chce vykreslovat současnou sociální a politickou situaci jako normální. Ale k tomu, aby populární artefakt byl cílovými skupinami přijat, musí umožnit partyzánské čtení, při kterém konzument produkuje významy, které jsou v opozici vůči, jak jinak, těm drtícím dominantním kapitalistickým silám. Pak chválíme třeba ještě subverzivní kulturu bezdomovců před obchoďákem a vyzdvihneme chudé Jánošíky, kteří okrádají své zaměstnavatele, ale neokrádají svou rodinu.

U knihy se mi vybavil komunistický funkcionář, který si pouští westerny jen kvůli tomu, aby analyzoval úpadek buržoazní kultury. I tady má asi autor touhu svá guilty pleasures obhájit před kamarády na akademické půdě.

[Carljoe Javier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compelling, theoretically driven book that can be picked up and read by pretty much anybody. Fiske presents amazing and brilliant ideas, but offers them to us in sleek, cool prose that makes for great discussion. I especially like how he asks us to approach our readings of popular culture, and notable in this book is how well it has aged. Even though it was written more than two decades ago and references old material, its readings and analyses are still sharp and can be used in reading today's culture.

[Eliška · Rating 5 out of 5]

Koukám díky ní víc ze široka.

[aa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiske woke me from my dogmatic slumber. My opinions of pop culture have been informed by Frankfurt School writings in the Forties on “the culture industry.” They curmudgeonly argue that movie studios and other capitalist media enterprises brainwash the masses into becoming passive consumers. But, Fiske retorts, this view doesn’t give audiences enough credit. We don’t passively consume media, we produce our own meanings with them, meanings that help us cope and even empower us in our subordinate positions within capitalism.

To him, pop culture is the art of making-do with what’s around us. We are born into this society not of our choosing and lack an authentic folk culture or the ability to control much of our lives. However, we can control which media we consume and what we do with it. Sure, these products are commodities bearing the values of hegemonic capitalism. But to be successful, they must also appeal to us or we would ignore it, as we did with the Eddie Murphy movie Pluto Nash. Due to their relatively shallow nature, pop culture texts have a lot of potential to be read into and for people to make their own meanings from them.

Fiske shows that Aboriginal people in Australia, for example, liked the Rambo movies because they related to Rambo fighting the cops in their own anti-colonial sentiments. Teenage girls felt empowered by Madonna because dressing up like her was a way of taking charge of their own sexuality. Both of these are capitalist commodities with harmful, dominant ideologies present. But, since people aren’t stupid, they can somewhat evade those meanings and take what they can from them. Even when only fulfilling interior fantasies, Fiske believes pop culture produces self-confidence that is the basis for social action.

Fiske’s explanation for why these commodities have hegemonic values is that producers want their products to have mass appeal. The dominant ideology is what we all share in capitalism, so it’s what the products almost always display. I have much more to say about this book and will probably write something longer about it soon. Highly recommended for fellow culture snobs and pessimists.

[Miloš · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering it also a useful insight into popular culture and it's powers, I will let myself call it off as overly optimistic and boring attempt at structuring what happen to be also my views, a sober piece of cultural analysis, rather than a source of new knowledge. I found the book boring most of the time. I feel it communicated what's very close to the surface and obvious, it failed to produce the wow effect that would usually stick me to the book, it took me a vast amount of time to read it, etc. Representative of a two star rating - it was only OK - it didn't even manage to piss me off, it failed to maintain the thought process in my case... But this also makes it an easier read for one who finds such theoretical books more attractive.

[隻眼簽到 · Rating 4 out of 5]

瞭解庶民文化。約翰‧菲斯克著。陳正國譯。
庶民文化，這個理論或觀察，看來是無產階級革命思想的延續與轉化。直言之，就是由社會階級的鬥爭轉化到文化品味的鬥爭。作者說，弱勢者鬥爭的動力源自於「愉悅」的魔力。生產(創造)自我社會經驗意義的愉悅與閃躲權力集團之社會化教條的愉悅。所以作者說：「大眾的愉悅必須是那些被壓抑者的愉悅，他們必須包含反對者、逃避者、聲名狼藉者、輕蔑者、鄙俚、抗拒者等等元素。」例如，牛仔褲不能只是教條化的牛仔褲，它必須有破洞，破洞體現庶民自我經驗的意義。逮破洞再被教條化，庶民則再創各種不同形式的破洞以展現他們的文化再創造。
在我看來，所謂的庶民文化理論，有點像是小孩在大人教化下的叛逆行為。而我們知道，這些叛逆的背後，常常是「求關注」「求重視」的吶喊。翻譯過來，也就是被壓抑人民想被再收編、重宰制的吶喊。目的只為了從宰制階級中獲得更多的權力或資源而已。所謂的「愉悅」，怕只是一種自欺欺人的自我合理化罷了。

[Seneda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book to talk about; even more nowadays. I was positively surprised by it, and I believe it does just what it intended: to be a debate starter, a point maker. Certainly since this book came out we have not seen -- At least I did not, in the academic contexts that I am part of -- theses ideas circulating very much; which is a shame, as they are so powerful and relevant.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why didn't anyone put this in front of me the second I started writing about Choose Your Own Adventure books and Dolly Parton (say, 2001?)? So clear, so necessary, I feel like a fraud teaching for so long without reading this.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

KONIEC. UDAŁO SIĘ!

[Onenick_jr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[alkowicz_czyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

miejscami naprawdę ciekawe spostrzeżenia. gdzieś między 3 a 4

[Tito Quiling, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A recurrent title in media studies and important readings on popular culture, this accompanying work to Reading Popular Culture zeroes in on various phenomena and products such as televisions, carnivals, soap operas and movies, even jeans. In this line, the work also looks into the "practice of everyday life"--to borrow Michel de Certeau's term and how as consumers, others may readily submit to the given message while some tend to resist the norm by breaking or altering some of the general features of a product which can lead to its eventual decline or growth.

Admittedly, some of the subjects bear a dated quality. Nevertheless, some of the author's examples paved the way for other readings in popular culture in a similar thread. But one must remember how despite popular culture being a widespread phenomenon, it does not preach.

[sani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zanimljiva i, uprkos tome što je napisano krajem prošlog stoljeća, relevantna analiza popularna kulture. Naravno, knjiga nije bez svojih mana. Na trenutke može biti veoma apstraktna i često se Fiske ponavlja, kao i primjere koje koristi, ali je većinom jasna i razumljiva. Fiske je napisao dobro razrađen uvid u popularnu kulturu, šta je čini, kako se ispoljava te njena veza sa masovnom kulturom. Uvid koji će dugo vremena ostati relevantan i značajan za mnoge studijske programe.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though helpful and informative, I felt that it shows its age, and the points that he makes that are transferable and applicable to a modern popular culture were hard for me to spot. Perhaps, though, it was my late-night reading for a class that made me feel this way.

[Caleigh Gran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't exactly a fun or entertaining read, but definitely useful and serves the purpose for which it was intended.

[Mills College Library]

306.4 F541 2010

[Shallowreader VaVeros]

Rereading

[Larry Growney]

Challenging-- made/makes my brain work hard. Informs so much of my understandings now. Political and Cultural identities are astoundingly dynamic-- a Kaleidoscope of interests-- always in flux.

[Bookshire Cat]

Pages 23-68 and 103-127 read for a class.